Done Baking
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Is Buffy done becoming whoever it is she's supposed to be?
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares

DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss for these are his characters! Although if he ever decides he wants to give away the copyright, I'll be more than happy to help him out.  
  
SPOILERS: None. This is a future fic that takes place about two or three years after the end of season seven (since I've heard that this season may be the last for both Buffy and Angel) (if I had my way). Spike and Buffy had their little fling and now it's over, leaving them just good friends. After Tara's death, Oz returned to Sunnydale and he and Willow got back together. He has learned to totally control the wolf.  
  
FEEDBACK: Please! Of course, flames will be used to toast marshmallows and make s'mores. It takes me many many moons to write without feedback. Reviews are highly encouraged. PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
DISTRIBUTION: If you ask first I will consider it.  
  
Buffy's nightmares had begun again. She would wake up to find her pillow soaked with tears. A few times, Dawn had even woke her up, terrified by her screams.  
  
She was showing up for training sessions with bags not only under her eyes but all the way around them. Tear tracks from the night before showed clearly on her face. She couldn't seem to focus on the task at hand and didn't seem to have her heart in her training anymore.  
  
Giles was worried and Dawn was terrified. Spike was even a little scared. He had never seen any Slayer, let alone Buffy so out of it. He felt helpless to do anything but stand by her and protect her when he could.  
  
One day, the nightmares broke something in Dawn. Buffy's screams woke Dawn up. Dawn started crying. She ran to the phone and called Giles, sobbing. "Giles, Buffy's having another nightmare! I can't deal with this anymore!"  
  
"All right, Dawn. I'll be right there." Giles hung up and Dawn put the phone back in the cradle, turning as Spike walked through the back door. He had heard the screams from Buffy's room and thought to stop and see what was up.  
  
Dawn's tears worried him. "What's wrong, bit?"  
  
"I can't handle these nightmares anymore, Spike! I just can't!" Spike held his arms open to Dawn and she stepped into his embrace. He held her close and rocked her gently as he stroked her hair soothingly. She couldn't seem to stop crying which worried Spike. He was scared that she might make herself sick.  
  
They were still standing like that when Giles arrived. He came back to the kitchen to check on Dawn. "I've got this one, Rupert. Take care of Buffy."  
  
Giles nodded and all but flew up the stairs to Buffy's room. Wrapping his arms around the screaming, sobbing Slayer, he pulled her to him as a father comforting a tiny frightened child might. He rocked her for several long minutes before she was calm enough to talk to him.  
  
*Maybe we should call Angel* He didn't realize that he had actually vocalized the thought until Buffy pulled away from him and glared at him.  
  
"Giles, we can't. He made his choice. Besides, he'd be in danger if he came here."  
  
"Yes. Well-uh-very well. What do you see in these nightmares?" Buffy had told him of prophetic dreams before but the only ones that seemed to bother her this badly before were the ones she had experienced right around her seventeenth birthday.  
  
She looked away uncomfortably. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?" She cocked her head questioningly at him. "What are you doing here anyway? It's --" She looked at the clock and groaned. "2:30 A. M. How did you know?"  
  
"Your screams woke Dawn. She called me, crying hysterically."  
  
"Oh no! Where is she?" Buffy threw the covers off as if to run to her little sister. Giles stopped her and made her lay back down.  
  
"She's ok, Buffy. The last I saw Spike was calming her down in the kitchen. She had almost stopped crying at least." Buffy leaned back against the mass of pillows on her bed. Giles smiled remembering the way things had been during the summer that Buffy had been dead. "You should have seen him with her after you died. Spike wouldn't let anyone except Tara and Willow near her the first couple of days. Then, when Angel came for the funeral, Dawn was crying and blaming him for not being here to save you. She said that if he had really loved you, he would have been here for you and you wouldn't have died. Angel and I tried to talk to her and tell her that wasn't the case but she wouldn't listen. About the time she smacked Angel across the face, Spike came in and took her upstairs to tuck her into bed. Some nights, he would even stand guard by her bed until just before dawn. Other times, we would find him on his knees in your room, crying into one of your pillows."  
  
"He cares a lot about her. I'm glad of that. I'm also glad that she has someone to lean on when I'm not there."  
  
After a few more minutes of inane chitchat, Buffy slid down under her covers and curled up to sleep. "Giles?"  
  
"Yes, Buffy?"  
  
"Don't leave. I need you."  
  
"I won't. I'm just going to check on Dawn and then I'll be back."  
  
"Ok." Before he had even left the room, Buffy was once again sound asleep.  
  
Giles walked down the stairs and stopped as he looked into the living room, amazed at what he saw. Spike was sitting on the couch with a mug of blood in his hand and his feet on the coffee table. There was what appeared to be a mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table near his feet. Dawn was stretched out on the couch beside him with her head in his lap, sound asleep. Spike was still stroking her hair and murmuring to her occasionally.  
  
When he walked into the living room, Spike sat up a little straighter without disturbing Dawn. Giles smiled at him. "How's Dawn?"  
  
"Worried about big sis. Just got her to sleep a little bit ago." He smoothed Dawn's hair yet again. "Has Buffy talked about it yet?"  
  
Giles shook his head and pulled off his glasses to clean them. It was a nervous habit and the vampire knew that the Watcher wasn't sure what to do to help his Slayer. "I don't know if she will talk to me about it yet." He sighed and looked at Spike as he replaced his glasses across the bridge of his nose. "I think we should call Angel."  
  
"Give her tomorrow, Rupert. If she won't talk to anyone tomorrow, then call him. If she won't talk to any of us, maybe she'll talk to him."  
  
"I don't know if it will be soon enough. But I'll give her tomorrow. If she hasn't said anything by the end of the day, the next morning, I call Angel."  
  
Little did either Giles or Spike know that another of Buffy's friends was ready to call Angel the next morning.  
  
\ \ \ \  
  
It was only about six in the morning when the phone rang in Angel's apartment in L.A. Angel was just warming some blood in the microwave and picked up on only the second ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Hey Willow. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, Angel. It's Buffy that's not doing so well."  
  
Angel was immediately worried. "What's wrong?"  
  
"She's not sleeping much. She's been having awful nightmares. Waking up screaming and sometimes they're so bad, from what Dawn says that someone has to wake her up in order to stop the nightmare. She's so tired that she can barely stay awake long enough during the day to take care of what needs doing. Spike goes with her on patrol and almost always ends up carrying her home afterwards. Demons are flocking to Sunnydale because word has gotten out that the Slayer is off her game and should be easy to take out."  
  
"How can I help?"  
  
"Come home. She needs you. I'm afraid that if you don't come home soon, she won't live much longer. She needs her Guardian Angel. She needs you."  
  
"Can you open up the mansion for me? I'll be leaving as soon as Gunn and Fred get here. I should be there in just about three hours."  
  
"But the sun. . . ."  
  
"Is not a problem. I have blankets and that's why I'm waiting for Gunn and Fred. I'll bring them with me to drive. Besides I've blacked out the windows. Buffy needs me. I'll be there. Meet me there about four this afternoon."  
  
"Ok. I'll bring you some groceries for them and fresh blood for you."  
  
"Thanks, Will. You truly are Buffy's best friend."  
  
They hung up and both vampire and wicca shed many tears for the young Slayer.  
  
"Gunn, Fred, don't get too comfortable. We are going to Sunnydale."  
  
"I kind of figured." When he looked at her funny, Fred shrugged. "I just had a feeling that I would be taking a long trip today. I just didn't know where to."  
  
"So, boss. What's in Sunnydale that's so important it can't wait until sundown?"  
  
"A troubled Slayer." Gunn and Fred just looked at their boss and worried.  
  
Later that day, Buffy and Willow went out to lunch. Willow was worried about the young lady sitting across from her at the restaurant, yawning. She had already heard about the previous night's problems and was glad that she had called Angel.  
  
When Giles had called to tell her that he had spent a portion of the night by Buffy's side because of her nightmares, she confessed that she had already called Angel and that he would be arriving that day with two friends of his. Of course, both of them were curious as to why he wasn't bringing Cordelia or Wesley but they had no way of knowing that the Wesley they knew was not the man that went by that name now. They also hadn't been told that Cordelia had disappeared the night Connor had tried to seal his father in a box and send him to the bottom of the ocean. No one even knew about Connor. They didn't care right now about any of that. They just wanted the old Buffy back.  
  
"Buffy, what's wrong? Everyone's worried about you. What can I do to help you?"  
  
Smiling wanly, Buffy tried to joke. "Find a spell that Giles can put on me to allow me to stay awake all the time?"  
  
"Buffy, that's not funny. Really. Xander and Anya want to help too but you won't tell any of us how to help you."  
  
"Really, Will. I'm fine. Just not sleeping so good lately. That's all."  
  
"Buffy, I'm your best friend for the majority of the past seven years or so. Please tell me what I can do to help you."  
  
"Look, Will. I know you want to help but right now the only thing I need is about a good solid twenty or thirty hours of dreamless sleep. If you can give me that, then please do. Otherwise, there's really nothing you can do."  
  
"Buffy, I'm sorry. I just hate to see you like this. If there's really nothing I can do, then I'll just be support gal. I know how to do that really well. I just keep doing what I'm doing now." Willow sat up a little straighter with pride. Will had always been support gal and wicca gal and so many other things to each of the Scoobies. Buffy just smiled to see her friend happy to find some way to be there for her. Suddenly, Willow's cell phone rang. "Hello?" After a brief pause, she exclaimed, "I don't care what the bug is. We pay you the money to not only find the bugs in the programs but to fix them as well." She paused again. "Ok. I'll come take a look. Be there in twenty." She closed the phone and looked at Buffy apologetically. "Sorry, Buffy. Gotta go. Not all problems are easily fixed I guess."  
  
"Someone at work can't figure out a glitch?"  
  
"More like a major uberbug. They need me. Don't forget. Party at the Bronze. 7:30 tomorrow night. Oz and I have actually been married for a year now." She gathered up her stuff and gave Buffy a big hug. Then she was gone.  
  
Buffy looked on the table for her check and, when she didn't find it, called the waitress over. "Where's the other check that was supposed to be left at this table?"  
  
"Mrs. Osborne told me when she first arrived that there was to be only one check and gave me the credit card to take care of it before you arrived, ma'am."  
  
"Thank you. I don't suppose she at least let me take care of the tip?"  
  
"No, ma'am. She gave me strict orders that I was not to take any money from you. She said it was a special gift from her to you."  
  
Buffy smiled and shook her head. Willow was really getting the hang of sneaking around behind people's backs. What was next?  
  
Gunn and Fred were sitting in the front room at the mansion when Willow arrived shortly after four that afternoon. Angel was laying down in his room after leaving them with strict orders to wake him when Willow arrived.  
  
It only took a moment to wake him when the young wicca arrived and soon they were discussing the usual patrol route and what had been happening in Sunnydale the past two years.  
  
Angel didn't take it very well when Willow told him about Spike and Buffy's 'extracurricular activities'. He did however appreciate the fact that Spike was now just a good friend of Buffy's and was helping her out on patrol and with Dawn. Willow was grateful that she thought to skip Spike's attempted rape of Buffy. She didn't want him dead now. Not when he was more than pulling his own weight with the group. Xander was still mad at him but was slowly coming around to a friendship with the now souled vampire. Everyone else had just accepted him back when Buffy had forgiven him for trying to rape her.  
  
"I'll follow along on patrol tonight. Just to make sure she doesn't get hurt. I felt how weak she was almost as soon as we hit the Sunnydale sign. With her being that tired and weak, she probably won't even notice me."  
  
"Just stay out of sight. I don't want her knowing that you're here until tomorrow night at the party." Willow had figured out that Buffy wouldn't make a scene at the party in front of all her friends. That was why she didn't want Buffy knowing yet.  
  
"Not a problem. Unless she gets into trouble that she can't handle."  
  
Willow rolled her eyes knowing that if tonight was a normal patrol, Angel would be hard pressed not to reveal himself to Buffy. She just hoped that Spike was on top of his game.  
  
That night, Angel watched as Spike and Buffy took on a quartet of fairly stupid fledglings. Spike dusted two right away and was working on his third while Buffy was struggling with her first. Her strength seemed to have deserted her and her mind definitely wasn't focused on the task at hand.  
  
Spike dusted the third vamp and turned to see Buffy finally dust hers. She straightened up just a little too fast and felt the world start to spin. Angel had all he could do to not run out of his hiding place and gather her in his arms to carry her home. As she stumbled back, Angel watched Spike hold her up. She leaned into Spike, obviously grateful for his help this time. "I'd better get you home, Slayer. You're so tired now that you can barely stand up."  
  
"Ok, Spike. Home. Home is good. Home is bed." He led her away from the graveyard and Angel followed at a discreet distance. He had been right. She was so weak and tired that she definitely didn't know he was there.  
  
When they got back to the house, she stumbled on the front steps, causing Spike to pick her up and carry her up to her room. He laid her down on the bed. She curled up on top of the covers, already asleep. He brushed the hair out of her face and left the room.  
  
He walked into Dawn's room and made sure that she was actually asleep. The sound of a calm and steady heartbeat reassured him that Dawn was truly asleep and not just faking it. He walked over to her bed and brushed the hair back from her face.  
  
Knowing that his grandsire was nearby, Spike stepped to the window. He saw Angel standing in the yard looking up at the window that belonged to Buffy's room. He looked over at Spike, who lifted a hand in acknowledgment to him. Angel nodded, knowing that his Buffy was safe for the night.  
  
Buffy sat at the gang's usual table at the Bronze, watching everyone else having fun. Wanting to go, but wanting to stay at the same time. Everywhere she looked there were reminders of Angel. Over there was the spot where she offered him her neck after finding out that he was a vampire. Here was the spot she'd shared their second kiss with him. And over there, on the dance floor, was the spot where she'd danced with *Mated with Angel had said* Xander.  
  
She wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn't fall. She glanced toward the door, remembering how many times she had watched for him to walk through that door, even if only to cryptically warn her of some impending danger. Her memories of those nights were so vivid that it was as if she actually saw him come through the door tonight. *That's impossible. He left me six almost seven years ago and never even wrote me. Two visits and one phone call that led me to running to him. In three years. Now I start imagining him here. I really need to get some sleep.*  
  
Suddenly, he was there, in front of her. "Buffy?" She shook her head.  
  
If it hadn't been for his vampire hearing, he wouldn't have heard her whispered words. "You left me."  
  
"I'm back. Back for good this time. I'm not leaving again." She got up and tried to walk past him but he gently took her arm. "Everything's going to be ok." She collapsed against his chest, sobbing brokenly. He just held her for a moment and felt his own heart break to hear his beloved crying that way.  
  
He led her over to a quiet corner where they sat for a while as she composed herself. "Buffy, look at me." She couldn't help it. She looked up at him, finally convinced that he was real and not just a figment of an overtired imagination. Her tears were still streaking her face. He brushed a few away with his thumb. "You haven't been sleeping much." It wasn't an accusation. It was just a statement of fact. "Why?"  
  
"Can't stand the nightmares. They're the worst I've ever had. Even worse than the ones I had around my seventeenth birthday. I just let everyone believe that they aren't that different." She pulled away from him and turned toward the wall. "You're in danger here, Angel. You shouldn't have come."  
  
"What kind of danger?"  
  
"He'll make me hurt you. He hates you."  
  
"As you would say, Buffy, drop the cryptic. Who hates me? Why?"  
  
"He comes to me in my dreams. I've seen . . . "  
  
"Who? Buffy, who comes in your dreams?"  
  
"Angel, I don't know who he is. All I know is that he wants me to kill you. He keeps saying it would be easy for me. That you let your guard down around me. He wants me to hurt the others too. But you are the one he wants dead."  
  
Angel pulled her close again. She tucked her head into his shoulder and cried again. "I don't want to hurt you. I love you, Angel. I never stopped."  
  
"I'm back." He was trying to reassure her. "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm going to help you get through this." He mentally kicked himself for allowing everyone to convince him that it would be best for her if he left. He had even let Cordy convince him that it would be better if he didn't contact her at all. Of course, he had. He had been watching out for her on numerous occasions. Most of which were not even known to her. She had been watched by others for him.  
  
Willow walked over to the table. "Would you guys like to dance together?"  
  
"Only if it's a slow song, Willow. She's too tired for anything else." He bent his head and kissed hers.  
  
"I have the perfect song." She walked over to the DJ's booth and made the request.  
  
"Here's one from the vaults for all of you. It's dedicated to two very special friends of the anniversary couple." Angel led Buffy to the dance floor. She allowed him to pull her in close and rest his chin on her head. This song was perfect for them. It was the song "Eyes Like Twins" by Wilson Phillips.  
  
(I recognize that smile/ Our winter was oh so cold.  
  
You wore your mysterious cloak just like a child  
  
No careless words were said / We spoke with eyes instead  
  
We looked into each other like long lost friends.  
  
But then you went away/ And I never heard  
  
You had a summer haunt  
  
You said the ice would kill  
  
But you would not be caught.  
  
We have eyes like twins  
  
Where your last thought ends my next begins always.  
  
Just one heartbeat away from everything I mean to say oh  
  
Catch me I'm falling like you.  
  
Wish for me, I'll come running to save you.  
  
Touch me I'm calling for you  
  
Remember me I will never betray you  
  
We have eyes like twins.  
  
I slept a thousand hours/ My heart felt cold as a coward's  
  
You sent a southern breeze like a forest fire.  
  
I heard those voices too/ I dreamed each dream with you  
  
We breathe as one together and shed our tears.  
  
But then I woke with you  
  
And my dream came true  
  
I'll never hold you here  
  
I know when winter comes that you will disappear.)  
  
Willow was in tears watching two of her best friends dance together. Buffy's petite form enveloped in Angel's strong and protective arms. The contrast between them was striking; her dark complexion and fair hair against his pale complexion and dark hair. They were the perfect complement to each other.  
  
Oz wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and she leaned back into him. Oz kissed the top of Willow's head at the same time Angel kissed Buffy's. Buffy turned her head to rest her cheek against his chest. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling.  
  
Angel just held her and rocked back and forth with his sexy yet infinitely sweet slanted smile. They both seemed so happy and calm. Suddenly, the song was over and everyone smiled, some even chuckled as Angel effortlessly lifted the sleeping Slayer into his arms and walked back to their table.  
  
He slid Buffy in first and sat next to her, pillowing her head against his shoulder. Willow turned to talk to someone else but when she looked back, Angel's head was on Buffy's and he also seemed to be asleep.  
  
"Oz, look." She nudge Oz and pointed at their friends. He just nodded and smiled. She looked at her watch. "We'd better wake them up and let Buffy go get some sleep."  
  
Oz nodded and the two of them walked over to where the couple were sleeping. "I don't know how they can sleep in here."  
  
"Angel? Angel?" When he didn't answer, Willow reached out to touch him. Oz pulled her hand back just before it reached him. "He didn't answer me."  
  
"I'm not really asleep, Willow. I'm just resting. After all, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep yesterday and not much today."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
Angel's head came snapping around to look Willow in the face. "I'm glad you called me, Willow. Maybe I can help her. Take care of her."  
  
"I know but she didn't want us to call you. She wanted us to let her deal with this on her own. I just didn't think she was dealing with it very well. And since. . . "  
  
"Since I told you specifically to call me if there was a need to." Willow bowed her head and immediately Angel was sorry he'd been so sharp with her. "I know you wanted her to admit to needing help before you called me. But if you had waited much longer, I may have been coming to her funeral. Please don't take it wrong. I just wish you had called me sooner."  
  
"I wish I had too. I hated seeing her like that. But tell me, Angel, how long did you know she was in trouble?"  
  
"I didn't. I swear. Cordelia hasn't been around for a while. No visions and no sense of danger coming from here." She had to have been trying to shield her thoughts. Especially if Angel couldn't feel her pain.  
  
"What's been going on in your life, Angel? I mean, you were out of touch for so long and then all of a sudden you were back and then Cordy's disappeared and Wesley's . . . What really happened to Wes?"  
  
"I'll explain it all later. Right now, I need to take care of Buffy. I think I'll take her back to the mansion. I can take care of her there. She can sleep and I can watch over her."  
  
He stood up and picked up the love of his life. Cradling her gently in his arms, he walked out of the Bronze and headed for the mansion.  
  
The next morning, Buffy woke up feeling fully rested for the first time in several months. At first, she was a little disoriented. What was she doing in the mansion? How did she get here?  
  
Suddenly, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. The familiar voice rumbled in her ear, "I carried you here."  
  
Spinning to face him, she was surprised and not surprised to see her soulmate in the bed with her. "Angel, I thought I was just dreaming. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I got a phone call a couple of days ago. I was told that you were in danger and that you needed me. I came right away. Brought a couple of friends with me."  
  
"Cordy and Wes?"  
  
"Nope. Cordy's been missing for almost a month. And Wes . . . I don't even know Wesley anymore. He's changed." Buffy couldn't have missed the sad note in Angel's voice. "But, no sad stuff today. You are here to rest and be pampered."  
  
"Angel, why did you carry me here?"  
  
He shrugged. "Because you fell asleep while we were dancing at Willow's party."  
  
"That is so not funny. I couldn't have fallen asleep. I would have fallen down."  
  
"While in my arms? Do you really think I would let you fall?" He seemed a little hurt at the thought that maybe she believed that he would - -  
  
"Never!" she exclaimed. "I know you would never let me fall. You never have. You know what I mean!"  
  
"Why don't you just go back to sleep?"  
  
"Maybe I should call Willow and check on Dawn while I'm up." She threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed.  
  
Angel grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed. He gave her an evil grin and started tickling her. She shrieked and fought him but of course he won and soon enough she was begging him to stop.  
  
Suddenly, he stopped tickling her and pulled her close. She snuggled into his chest, content and able to forget for just one tiny moment that theirs was not a normal relationship. For just one moment in time, she was a normal girl and he was her normal boyfriend.  
  
Thump-thump. She listened for a moment, hoping to hear it again. Nothing. Must have been her overly tired, overactive imagination. She yawned.  
  
"Are you going back to sleep now?" he purred. She couldn't see his face. He was smiling at his love's reaction to being back in his arms. She obviously felt safe enough to sleep. Everything would be fine. She would get better quickly here. She could sleep without dreaming which would be helpful to allow her the rest she so desperately needed.  
  
"I shouldn't. I want to though."  
  
"Well, Willow's probably already told everyone that you're here with me. Even though I doubt there was anyone that didn't see me carry you out of the Bronze last night." She groaned. "They've all been worried about you. That's why they called me." Willow's words echoed in his mind. 'She needs her Guardian Angel. She needs you.' His arms tightened around her just a little bit without him even realizing it.  
  
"I love you, Angel." Those were the last words he heard from her for quite a while. She was already asleep again.  
  
"Sleep well, my love," he whispered against her hair. He got a little more comfortable and relaxed, just content to hear her heartbeat and feel her breath against his chest.  
  
The next time Buffy opened her eyes, the room was dark and Angel was not beside her. She sat up, turning on the lamp beside the bed. Her head fell and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I WAS only dreaming."  
  
"Now what, my dear, would make you say such a thing?" came the slightly amused voice from the doorway. Her head jerked up to see Angel, all dressed up, leaning casually against the doorjamb. The amusement left his eyes, however, when he saw the tears in hers. He straightened up and walked over to the bed.  
  
She sniffled. "I woke up and you were gone."  
  
"I was making dinner reservations. I wouldn't leave you like that."  
  
"I know. With the amount of sleep, I haven't had lately, I thought that maybe last night had been just an illusion. That maybe I had walked here under my own power last night."  
  
"Well, Willow's bringing something for you to wear. You can go take a shower if you want." Buffy got off the bed and wiped her eyes. She then kissed Angel on the cheek before running into the bathroom to shower.  
  
Ten minutes later, Willow arrived to find Buffy pacing in the bedroom, wearing Angel's robe. "I brought this." Willow carefully unpacked the royal blue dress that her mom had never had a chance to wear.  
  
"Will, it's gorgeous. Where did you find this?"  
  
"In a box in the back of your mom's closet. She apparently never wore it. The tag was still on it."  
  
Buffy's eyes started to tear up. "Oh, Will!"  
  
"No crying. I'll cry if you cry and then Oz'll ask a whole bunch of questions when I go home." Buffy giggled as she hurriedly pulled the dress over her head. When she turned to Willow, the redhead drew a sharp breath. "Buffy, you're beautiful! I know just what to do with your hair." At Buffy's puzzled look, she laughed. "Yes. I know how to style hair. I just don't often bother with my own."  
  
Buffy sat down in front of the mirrorless vanity and Willow swept her hair up into a loose crown. The ends of her hair, which Willow then curled into ringlets, hung over her left ear and touched her left shoulder. Willow stood back and gazed at her friend in amazement. "You are beautiful!"  
  
Willow walked out first. Buffy waited just a moment. When she walked out of the bedroom, Angel's eyes bulged. He couldn't believe that the vision in front of him was the woman he loved. "Thank you, Will."  
  
As the couple and their friend walked out to their cars, Willow watched the two of them constantly looking at each other and touching each other as if afraid that this whole thing was just a dream.  
  
"See you two tomorrow." Willow got into her car and drove away.  
  
Angel opened the car door for Buffy and asked, "Shall we go?"  
  
After dinner, Angel and Buffy sat on a hill overlooking Sunnydale. Buffy remembered the time that she had kept Angel from immolating himself on this very hill on Christmas a few years earlier. She shivered and Angel shrugged out of his jacket, covering her with it like a blanket before pulling her a little closer.  
  
"That's the second time you've given me your jacket."  
  
"I know. And I don't regret either one. You are everything to me. Besides, it isn't like I feel chilled."  
  
"I wasn't cold. I was remembering. Remembering that Christmas. . . "  
  
"I remember. You cried so much that morning. Every time that I've wanted to die since then, I remember your tears that morning trying so hard to save me. I've never come that close since."  
  
"And now here we are. On the same hill. Only this time, instead of me saving you, you have to save me."  
  
"Look, Buffy! A shooting star!"  
  
Buffy closed her eyes and made her wish. "I wish . . ." *I wish I could spend one day with Angel as a normal couple. No happiness clause. No demons, no darkness. Just a man and a woman in love.*  
  
"Tonight has been perfect." Angel was content. He was holding the love of his life in his arms. She had experienced no nightmares in his arms. The circles around her eyes were already fading and she seemed so much happier.  
  
Buffy felt something. She turned her head so that her ear rested against Angel's chest. There it was again. Thump-thump. She listened another second or two. Thump-thump. It got louder. She felt his chest getting warmer. The heartbeat got louder and stronger. She sat upright and looked into his face. "Angel?"  
  
"I feel funny. My chest feels tight." He stopped and took a deep breath. She was surprised to watch him put his hand to his chest as if it hurt to breath. "It hurts, Buffy. Why does it hurt?"  
  
"Easy, Angel. Let's get you inside and I'll call Giles." She helped him up and walked him inside. She put him on the couch and grabbed the phone. Frantically, she pushed the buttons for Giles number. When he picked up the phone, she hurriedly explained the situation. He told her he'd be right over. She hung up the phone and knelt beside her love. Angel was really warm. He felt almost fevered. She kept touching him and he seemed to be fighting to breathe. *Since when did Angel need to breathe?*  
  
Ten minutes later, Giles ran through the door. "He's over here, Giles." Buffy sounded terrified. Giles knelt beside her and checked Angel over quickly.  
  
"Well, I think we've found the problem. Angel has a pulse. He's having to breathe for the first time in more than 200 years. His lungs need to stretch again. Get used to breathing as it was." Buffy sat back on her heels. "He'll be fine in a while, Buffy. Just sit with him. Bring in some warm towels and drape them over his face. The heat will help open up his lungs." Before he even finished the last sentence, Buffy was in the bathroom wetting down towels. She came back with two and laid one across his face and one across his chest.  
  
In about ten or fifteen minutes, Angel started breathing easier. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he sat up on the couch. "Thank you, Giles. Thank you for coming here and helping me."  
  
Buffy walked Giles back to his car and gave him a hug before letting him leave. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I know you don't exactly like Angel."  
  
"Buffy, he came to help you. That's one reason why I'm helping him. I do like Angel. It's Angelus that I don't like. But since right now, he doesn't seem to be part of the equation, I have no problems with Angel. I think that Angel has done what is known to some people as shanshu."  
  
"What --?"  
  
"About a year and a half ago, Wesley called me and told me of a prophecy which involved Angel becoming human. I should have told you about it before this. I just didn't want you to build up hope that it could happen before you died. I wanted you to live and not spend the rest of your life waiting for something that might not happen for fifty or sixty years if at all." Giles hung his head. "Shortly after that, Angel called me and begged me not to tell you. He didn't want you to lock yourself away for the rest of your life when he may not have succeeded in his quest for many years."  
  
"I -- Giles, this was important information. How could you keep this from me?"  
  
"Please forgive me. I was trying to do what was best. I didn't know it would happen this soon." He bowed his head. "I -- Take care of Angel, Buffy. He loves you."  
  
"Buffy, Giles told you about my shanshu. Didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah. It kind of bothers me that you didn't tell me. I just wish you had let me make my own decision on this one. I may not have made the Parker mistake. I don't hate you for it. I could never hate you. I just wish that you would let me help make decisions regarding my life and what I do with it."  
  
"I should have told you. I didn't. I think we've established the fact that I should have told you. I don't think we need to talk about it right now. You still need sleep and right now so do I." He smiled. "This being human thing is going to take some getting used to."  
  
"It's not so easy even when you ARE used to it." She giggled a little and curled up next to him on the couch.  
  
"Why don't you go on into bed? I'll be there in a minute. I just need to check a couple things first."  
  
"Ok. Don't be too long."  
  
"I won't. I promise."  
  
She walked into the bedroom to go to sleep. Angel walked into the kitchen and got a drink of water. He was heading for the bedroom when Gunn came downstairs.  
  
"How were things last night, Gunn?"  
  
"Quiet, boss. Almost too quiet. What are you doing up already?"  
  
"Haven't been to bed yet. It appears shanshu is already happening." He shook his head. "I can't believe it. I have wanted this for so long and now that it's happening I don't know what to think." He was standing near the open bedroom door when he heard Buffy yelling in her sleep.  
  
Both he and Gunn walked into the room to find Buffy tossing and turning on the bed."No! I can't! Don't make me! I can't hurt him! Please! Angel, run!"  
  
Angel ran over to the bed and gathered her tightly in his arms. "Buffy! Buffy! It's alright! I'm here, love. You're safe." He stroked her hair while whispering soothingly to her. He felt her hand digging painfully into his chest.  
  
"Angel! Run! Before I have to . . ." Suddenly, she went stiff in his arms. She didn't seem to be breathing.  
  
"Buffy! Breathe! Buffy!" Angel shook her. She went completely limp in Angel's arms. She still didn't seem to be breathing. "No, Buffy! Buffy, please!" He turned to Gunn. "My keys are on the stand by the front door! Go start the car! You're driving us to the hospital!"  
  
He picked up Buffy and followed close behind Gunn. The whole time he was pleading with Buffy to please just breathe.  
  
The nurse at the emergency room triage station looked up when she heard the commotion Angel made coming in. She looked at the petite blonde in his arms who, apparently, wasn't breathing. The rather imposing man seemed to be having trouble breathing himself. But he obviously was more worried about the young woman he carried with such care. "Help me. Please. She's not breathing." The nurse hit a button on her desk. Suddenly, there was a gurney and three or four doctors around Angel, gently taking Buffy from his arms and whisking her away to work on her.  
  
The nurse gently touched Angel's arm. "Sir, I need to ask a few questions."  
  
"I'll try to answer them."  
  
The nurse asked a series of questions that Angel answered to the best of his ability. "Sir, is there someone you can call to be here with you while you wait?"  
  
Angel nodded and numbly started for the phone to call Giles and the rest of the gang.  
  
Twenty minutes later, all of the Scoobies were assembled and anxiously awaiting word on Buffy's status. Angel was pacing through the waiting room, terrifying the nurses. Willow sat sleepily on Oz's lap just like Dawn on Spike's. Xander and Anya were holding hands and remembering the last time they had been here at this hour of the morning. The day that Tara had died.  
  
"Angel, what happened?" Giles was the one to ask the question that everyone wanted the answer to.  
  
"A nightmare. She went to bed a little before me. When I got to the room, she was having a nightmare and then she went stiff. A moment later, she went limp, not breathing. Gunn grabbed my keys and drove us in here."  
  
Willow stood up from Oz's lap and walked over to her friend and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sure she's fine. She's probably awake back there right now and driving the doctor's crazy. I'm sure she's ok." Willow was trying to be the strong shoulder that Angel needed right now. She noticed that he was actually warm and had a heartbeat. She was surprised but not at the same time.  
  
Wesley had told her about the shanshu before he told Giles. No one had found out about it from her. That was Wesley's request. She had kept her word and told no one.  
  
Suddenly, the doctor appeared in front of them. "How is she?"  
  
"She should be all right. We had a couple of close calls in the exam room. Almost lost her twice. She stable now but I'd like to admit her for a few days."  
  
Angel glanced at the doctor, the anguish in his eyes plain. "Can I see her?"  
  
"Of course. Follow me." The doctor led Angel back to Buffy's room. Angel choked back a sob when he saw her laying there. She looked so tiny. Seemed to be lost amongst all of the sensors and wires.  
  
He ran over and sat down in the chair beside her bed. Tears streamed down his face.  
  
"I'll be all right, Angel." The soft voice came from the tiny girl on the bed. "I just need to sleep. They'll let me out of here soon."  
  
"Not until you're well." She looked like she was going to say something but Angel put his hand up. "I mean it. I'll stay here with you. You are not leaving here until you're completely well."  
  
"Not a problem, Angel." Giles was backing him up. "She stays here until she's better. Will you and Oz help Spike with patrols while she's here?"  
  
"I know I will. I'm pretty sure that Oz will too."  
  
From behind them, they heard, "Of course I will."  
  
"I'll sit with Buffy for you while you patrol."  
  
"Thank you, Willow." Angel was grateful for all of the support that Buffy had around her and the fact that they were all equally worried about his love.  
  
"No problem, Angel. I'm sure that she'll be fine before too long. Then, we can all go back to our semi-normal lives."  
  
"We'll make sure of that, Willow. She's going to be fine." Angel kissed Buffy on the forehead. "Why don't all of you go home and we'll let Buffy get some sleep? Besides, from what I saw out in the hallway, Spike needs to get Dawn home and put in bed."  
  
Everyone nodded and headed off. Angel sat down next to Buffy and held her hand. He slipped her Claddaugh ring on her left ring finger with the heart pointing in. "Stay with me, Angel."  
  
"I'll be here. You'll never be alone."  
  
"Yes. You just stay here. Watch over me. Make them keep the curtains closed. I don't want to risk waking up to a pile of ash beside the bed." She smiled a little. As she drifted off to sleep, she murmured, "Watch over me, Angel. Protect me. He'll want to kill me for not hurting you."  
  
"No one is going to hurt you as long as I'm here." He lifted her left hand to his lips and kissed the ring on her hand. "You belong to me."  
  
"Forever," Buffy whispered just before she fell back to sleep.  
  
For the next sixty hours, Buffy slept fitfully, off and on. Angel barely left her side and never for very long when he did. Spike and Oz had taken care of patrol the whole time. The first night the nurses tried to chase Angel off but it didn't work. He scared them into letting him do basically what he wanted. Willow and Giles brought him food when he wanted it and watched as he actually ate human food.  
  
After two and a half days, Buffy finally woke up. Angel was asleep in one of the chairs with his feet up on another. He looked so worn out that she just smiled. She didn't notice the remains of a fried chicken dinner on a tray on the floor next to him.  
  
She turned her head as the door to her room opened and Willow walked in. Buffy signaled to her to be very quiet so as not to wake Angel. Will nodded and tiptoed over to the bed, not letting on to Buffy that Angel was awake and looking straight at her. "Hello, Willow." Buffy's head whipped to the other side of her bed to see Angel looking at the two of them with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hey, Angel. I came to spell you for your walk." He stood up and stretched before giving Buffy a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Be back soon, my love." He softly stroked the hair away from her face.  
  
After he left, Will sat down beside Buffy. "He hasn't left your side except for his walks. Once a day, he goes for a thirty minute walk."  
  
"How long have I been here?"  
  
"About two and a half days. You really had us worried for a while." She decided to answer Buffy's next question before she could ask. "Angel and Gunn brought you in. Gunn drove and Angel carried you. It was already daylight too."  
  
"I know. The sun was just about to come up when we came in from the hill." She looked down at her hand and saw the Claddaugh ring and which hand it was on. "This is what saved me while he was gone. Will, go get Angel. Please! I need and want to tell him what's going on." Will took off out the door to find Angel.  
  
"Giles, are there demons that specialize in driving people insane through their dreams?"  
  
"At least two that I know of and maybe more."  
  
"Can I fight them?"  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea. For two reasons. The first being your condition. The second is that this thing, whatever it is, is obviously scared of Angel. That's obvious because as long as he is here or that ring is on your finger, it doesn't attack. It also seems to be quite intelligent. In order to destroy Angel, it came after you." Giles took a deep breath. "Buffy, if you decide to face this thing, especially not knowing what exactly we are dealing with, it won't be easy and Angel won't be able to be here. You should probably also take off the ring. That's the only chance we have for you to defeat this thing."  
  
"I can go with her." Willow's strong voice took everyone by surprise. Everyone but Oz. "I have power and I have magic. I can help her."  
  
"Of course, where Willow leads, I follow." Oz's hands lightly squeezed his wife's shoulders for support. "Even I can help. Especially since I now control the wolf."  
  
"Will, you don't have to . . . " Buffy started to say. She didn't need to say it. They all remembered Willow's addiction to the dark magics.  
  
"It's ok, Buffy. I can do it. I have my friends to watch over me and pull me through." She craned her neck around to look at Oz. "Plus I have Oz." Her simple statement declared the level of trust she had in his ability to keep her from going too far.  
  
Of course, both Buffy and Oz knew that Willow wasn't really as confident as she sounded. She was merely trying to put up a brave front for Angel. After all, she hadn't used magic in almost three years.  
  
Angel took Buffy's hand in his own. "Are you sure about this, Buffy? I won't be able to be here." He looked at the floor. "I can't protect you this time."  
  
"Angel, there have been other times that you couldn't protect me. I came back from all of them. I have to fight this one on my own." When he didn't look at her, she took ahold of his chin and pulled him up to face her. "I will come back. I promise."  
  
"I won't lose you again."  
  
"Never again. You, my love, are stuck with me for life." Angel took the ring from Buffy and walked toward the door. Xander walked with him.  
  
"I'll go with him. I don't think there's anything I can do here." The two men walked out of the room and left the three to their battle.  
  
Buffy, Willow and Oz found themselves walking down a long, white hallway. Buffy was once again in her Spring Fling dress. "Where are we, Buffy?"  
  
"Don't know, Wills. This is how they all start out. At the end of the hall . . ." Buffy had stopped speaking because they had already reached the end of the hall. But this time, Buffy didn't know what she would see when she opened the door.  
  
She reached out her hand and turned the handle. As she opened the door, she saw Angel chained to the wall. She ran into the room but was frozen in place when she reached the middle of the room. "ANGEL!!" Her voice was filled with anguish. Willow and Oz were right behind her and also frozen in the middle of the room.  
  
"You failed me."  
  
"I never agreed to help you. I never wanted to."  
  
"You failed me. Now you will watch him die and then you will die." A shadowy form stepped out of the corner of the room. "I see you brought some company. The witch and her faithful dog."  
  
"Incendia!" Willow exclaimed. A fireball leapt from Willow's hand to the creature trying to separate the Warriors.  
  
"Trying to use the magicks again? You'll fall as you fell before." With a gesture of his hand, he directed the fireball to Angel.  
  
"By all that is pure, by all that is right. Protect my friend from hell's dark knight." Willow's quickly chanted spell did its job. Angel was surrounded by a magical shield. "Buffy, you need to feel every bit of love that you ever felt for Angel. That will strengthen the shield around Angel. You can protect him."  
  
Buffy thought about all the times he had watched her back and all the times he had held her when she needed it. He loved her and wanted nothing more than to be with her and keep her safe. She loved that and she loved him enough to be willing to give her own life to keep him safe.  
  
Then, she attacked. The creature in front of her was furious because she was supposed to kill Angel. How dare he try to kill her soulmate?! Who did he think he was to mess with her mind?!  
  
The creature wailed when he realized that he couldn't hurt Angel. He turned his fury on the love of Angel's life. He threw himself at her and in short order had her pinned to the floor and was pummeling her chest. Maybe he really could kill her and then Angel would destroy himself.  
  
She felt herself losing conciousness when she heard Willow scream. "Oz, I release you! Protect the Chosen One."  
  
Suddenly, the creature was gone and Oz was clawing and biting at it. Willow ran to Buffy's side and chanted a small spell that sped up Buffy's already accelerated healing powers. Buffy felt rejuvenated.  
  
Buffy joined Oz in destroying this creature that had tried to take her life and those of her friends. As the creature dissolved into a huge puddle of goo, Buffy started feeling worn out. Oz turned from Buffy and picked up Willow from where she had collapsed on the floor. Then, he helped Buffy. They went to the center of the room and waited for a moment.  
  
Buffy's eyes fluttered open and looked around the room. Oz was laying Willow down on the floor where she could stretch out. Buffy stirred and Giles came over to her. "How do you feel, Buffy?"  
  
"I need a drink. Some water please." Buffy's mouth felt like she had swallowed a wad of cotton. Giles held a glass of water to his Slayer's mouth and she thirstily gulped the liquid down.  
  
Suddenly, the door to Buffy's room opened and Angel stalked in, followed by Xander. Before she could even register the look on his face, he was on his knees beside her bed with her left hand in both of his. His face was full of worry.  
  
"I'm fine. We won." Her voice was still weak but she was aware of her surroundings. That was a good sign. "How's Willow?"  
  
"She still seems to be pretty much out of it. She should come around soon." Angel stood up and kissed her forehead. "How are you?"  
  
"Tired. Want to sleep. But not until I'm sure that Willow's ok."  
  
"Relax, sweetheart. She'll be fine. Oz is taking care of her now." Just then, Willow groaned and started moving around. "She's coming around."  
  
Buffy struggled to sit up until Angel put an arm behind her and helped her to sit up. "Will?"  
  
Oz helped his wife sit up and she rubbed her head. "I haven't used magic in two years. Maybe I shouldn't have tried the acceleration spell. That's the one that knocked me out."  
  
Oz helped her up to let her walk off the aftereffects of the spell. Angel sat down next to Buffy on the bed. He pulled out her Claddaugh ring and picked up her left hand. "My love." He took a deep breath. "I have loved you for a long time. I was just too stubborn to see what was right in front of me the whole time. Even when I left, I was still here. Because you were here. I know that I need to do this right this time. When I originally gave you the Claddaugh ring and placed it on your left ring finger, it meant we were married in the eyes of 1770's Ireland. It was something that I never told you. I was never sure how you would take it. I do however want to do it right this time. To give you a wedding in the sunshine." Gazing into her eyes, he slid the ring on her finger. "Buffy, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"  
  
"Angel, it would be my honor to become your wife." Buffy looked at Angels with tears in her eyes. "I love you."  
  
The next day, Angel wheeled Buffy out of the hospital in a wheelchair into the sunlight. He stopped next to his car and she stood up. "Do you remember the time we talked about me being jealous of Xander?"  
  
"Yeah. You said that it bothered you that, and I quote, 'He's in your life. He gets to take your classes, eat your meals, hear your jokes and complaints. He gets to see you in sunlight.' "  
  
"And what did you say?"  
  
"I don't look that good in direct light."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"What isn't?"  
  
"You look fantastic in direct light." Angel bent his head and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.  
  
Three months later, Buffy stood in a small tent in her backyard in a goregeous white dress. She gazed at the reflection in the mirror and almost couldn't believe the image gazing back at her. She had never thought this day would come.  
  
Of course, she couldn't wait till later that night. She had something to tell Angel. She had found out just a week ago that she was pregnant. She hadn't told anyone yet. She actually was considering telling him just before he kissed her after exchanging vows.  
  
"I now pronounce you man and wife." The preacher was pleased to announce.  
  
Angel bent down and kissed his new bride. "Man and wife. Sounds really great to me."  
  
"I know something that sounds even better," she whispered. "I'm pregnant."  
  
He pulled back for a moment and then kissed her deeply. As he pulled back, he whispered, "That does sound better. Today is my every dream come true. And it's only getting better." 


	2. Chapter 2: Key to My Heart

DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"Yes, Bit?"  
  
"Where's Buffy?"  
  
"Now, I would guess that she's still with Angel. After all, he did carry her out of the Bronze last night."  
  
Dawn's next sentence shocked Spike's attention from the TV to her. "I HATE HIM!"  
  
"Now, Bit. . ."  
  
"No! I hate him! He leaves her heartbroken for two years then shows up when she dies and expects me to be grateful he's even here! Now, two years after that, he shows up and dares to carry my big sister out of Willow's party!"  
  
"Now, Dawn, Angel may not be the most present of lovers, but he has always loved your sister as much as she loves him. He would have come back long ago if she had only asked."  
  
"He doesn't deserve her!"  
  
"I won't argue with that, pet. But they love each other and no one or nothing can come between them. Believe me, I've tried."  
  
"She's MY sister! She stopped being HIS lover a long time ago! She's MINE!" Dawn screamed, stomping her foot for emphasis every so often. She looked at Spike. Her eyes were full of tears and starting to spill over. "He doesn't deserve her! He doesn't NEED her!" She slumped her shoulders in defeat. "I do." The last sentence came out as a tearful whisper.  
  
Spike was in front of her before she could even blink. "Dawnie, she'll figure that out soon enough. Your sister's a smart girl." He pulled the sobbing teen into his chest. "She'll be back, luv." He stroked her hair in a soothing manner that had calmed her so quickly so many times before.  
  
"She left me! Left me again!"  
  
Spike led Dawn over to the couch and sat down. She curled up on his lap and buried her head in his shoulder. 'Damn you, Angel! Damn you for putting Dawn through this.' Spike would have staked Angel just on principle. Buffy wasn't thinking straight. Then again, she never did when it came to Angel.  
  
He knew when this had all started with Dawn. The summer that Buffy was dead. Then he spent time trying to get Buffy to love him. But since his soul had been returned, he realized that Buffy wasn't the one he really wanted. He was drawn to Dawn. He remembered other times with girls that seemed so much like Dawn. Not the Key. Dawn. Of course, Dru had always taken them away from him. Dru had always been a selfish little bitch. He had loved her at one time though.  
  
Dawn stirred and Spike resumed smoothing her hair. "It's all right, pet. I won't leave you."  
  
"Promise?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"I swear."  
  
Dawn wasn't quite the same after that night. She went to school, came home, did her homework and watched Passions with Spike. He always made sure she had a decent dinner and was helping her with homework.  
  
Spike would cringe when he went to check on her sometimes after she fell asleep. She would sometimes cry herself to sleep and call out for Buffy in her sleep. Those were the nights that he would sit close by and stroke her hair, trying to give her good dreams.  
  
"Dawn, what are you still doing up? Don't you have school in the morning?"  
  
Dawn was typing almost viciously at her keyboard. She had been hoping to hide this from everyone else until she was ready to show them what she had learned. She had found the last three monks of the order which had created her in the first place. Once they were told of the final battle between the Slayer and the beast and the Slayer's sacrifice, they were willing to teach Dawn about what being the Key really meant. They were teaching her about her powers.  
  
"Just chatting with some friends."  
  
"Where are these friends?"  
  
"Asia. I found the last three monks of the order that sent me here. They're teaching me about the Key and what kind of powers I have."  
  
Spike smiled. Dawn sounded a lot like a little kid at Christmas time. He was a little concerned that these "monks" were actually from Glory's camp but he didn't think that they would be helping Dawn learn to use her powers. Instead they would be trying to capture her and kill her for what happened to Glory.  
  
"What kind of powers, Nibblet?"  
  
"They told me that I have several powers. We haven't been talking too long."  
  
"I'm sure this is all really bloody fascinating but you do have school tomorrow."  
  
"I don't want to go. I want to keep talking to these guys."  
  
"Dawn, the only way you get to stay home tomorrow is if you get so sick that you can't get out of bed."  
  
"Fine." She logged off and crawled into bed. She didn't realize just how potent her thoughts could be.  
  
Dawn rolled over and turned off her alarm clock. 'I feel like I've been run over by a semi.'  
  
She tried to sit up but fell back to her pillow. "I can't get up." She wanted to call out to Spike. Her voice didn't seem to be working very well. "Spike!"  
  
Spike had dozed off on the couch downstairs. He heard her alarm go off. He then heard her call his name. Her voice was really weak-sounding. He flew up the stairs.  
  
Dawn was laying in her bed with sweat rolling down her face. He sat down on the edge of the bed and touched her forehead. "Spike, I don't feel so good."  
  
"You're running a fever, sweetheart. I'm going to call Red and get some help. I'll take care of you. Don't worry."  
  
He left the room long enough to call Willow and bring a cool damp washcloth for Dawn's forehead. That's why when Willow showed up thirty minutes later she found him wiping her brow with a washcloth.  
  
She checked Dawn's temperature. "We need to get her into a cool tub of water."  
  
"I'll carry her." Spike picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Once there, Willow drew a tub of cool water and Spike gently set her in the tub, clothes and all. He used a cup from the sink to pour water over her head repeatedly. He let her lay her head against his arm like a pillow.  
  
"Spike! What the hell are you doing in here?"  
  
"I promised your sister that I wouldn't leave her. That includes especially when she's bloody sick. I also promised you that I would look after her until the end of the world no matter when that would be." He turned back to the young lady in the tub. "Or did you think I had forgotten my vow to you, Slayer." He looked back at Buffy. "I may have been gone for almost a year but I could never forget that vow."  
  
He gently smoothed the hair back from Dawn's face. "It's ok, pet. I'm right here and don't plan on going anywhere." She moaned a little and rolled her head around on his arm as if responding to his words. "Easy, pet. You'll be ok." He poured another cup of water over her head. He wanted to make her feel better. "Dawnie? Buffy's here. Wake up, pet. She wants to know that you're ok."  
  
Dawn opened her eyes a little. "Buffy?"  
  
"Right here, Dawnie. I'm here. I can take care of you."  
  
"You can help Spike." Dawn's voice was a little raspy. "He promised not to leave me."  
  
"That I did, bit. And I plan on keeping my word." He scooped up another cup of water. "Close your eyes." She did as he said and he poured the water over her head. "How do you feel?"  
  
"A little better. Still awful. And hot. But a little better. Not as bad as this morning." She tipped her head to the side and seemed to snuggle into Spike's arm. The simple show of trust brought tears to Buffy's eyes. Dawn fell back to sleep. Buffy realized that it would be so easy for Spike to hurt Dawn. She was still amazed by the fact that he never had. He had never hurt her either. He lay his cool forehead against her warm one and closed his eyes. "That feels good," she murmured in her sleep. Spike smiled.  
  
Buffy realized that Dawn was in good hands with Spike. She slipped out of the bathroom and went home as quietly as she had arrived.  
  
About eight-thirty that night, Dawn's fever was gone and she opened her eyes to find two intense blue ones staring back at her. "What am I doing in the tub?" She looked down at her clothes. "Why am I still dressed in the tub?"  
  
"You had a pretty high fever today. It's finally broken. You've been in and out of consciousness all day."  
  
"You've been beside me all day?"  
  
"Yeah. Right here, pet. I promised you I wouldn't leave you and I didn't." He gestured to the shelf beside the toilet. There was a clean set of pajamas setting there. "Can you get out of the tub and get dressed?"  
  
"I think I can." She stood up and Spike had to react quickly in order to keep her from falling flat on her face. "Maybe not."  
  
He picked her up and set her on the toilet, helping her get dressed. Then he carried her into her bedroom. He pulled back the covers while holding her with one arm. Then he gently placed her in her bed and covered her up. The sheets had been washed while she was in the tub. He turned to leave.  
  
"You're leaving me?"  
  
"I'm just going to go downstairs for a bit."  
  
"Stay with me. Please." He walked back into the room from the doorway.  
  
"I can't, luv. Big sis would 'ave my head."  
  
"I still feel a little queasy. I might need help. Stay please."  
  
"Ok, bit. For a little while." He kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bed on top of the covers. She snuggled up to him and rested against his chest. She was asleep in about twenty seconds.  
  
The next day, Spike waited on Dawn hand and foot. He wanted her to rest and regain her strength. She was online most of the day explaining the situation from the day before to the monks. Spike didn't leave her alone for very long at time.  
  
Dawn started getting frustrated with Spike's overzealous attentions at about noon. She told him that he could go to sleep if he needed to. She was capable of taking care of herself. He insisted that he was fine. "I won't need to sleep for a while yet."  
  
"Spike, I just think you should go get some sleep." She was worried that he would get grumpy and she had seen him grumpy before. She didn't like him grumpy.  
  
"Are you sure you'll be ok?"  
  
"I'm planning on a nap myself. If you want, you can crash in the chair there. That way you'll still be here if I need you for anything."  
  
"That works for me, pet." She curled up under the covers while he covered up with his duster in the chair near her bed.  
  
He woke up about two hours later to a nightmare. Dawn's nightmare. She was crying and tossing and turning on the bed. She had gotten tangled in the sheets and couldn't get free.  
  
"Let me go! Please! Spike, help me!" He hurriedly untangled her shapely legs from the sheets and pulled her into his arms, murmuring into her ear.  
  
"Easy, bit. I've got you. I'm here. I won't leave you. Relax. It's ok."  
  
Slowly, the girl calmed down and relaxed in his arms. He tried to lay her down but she had clenched her hand in a claw over his upper arm. He couldn't break the grip without waking her up. He laid down next to her and pulled her in close. He pulled the covers over the both of them and fell back to sleep with a feeling of peace he hadn't known in years.  
  
When they woke up, it was dark outside. Spike felt hungry but didn't dare move because now Dawn was tangled up in him. Her legs were wrapped around his; her arms wrapped around his chest and her head was nestled tightly into his shoulder. He smiled.  
  
So did she. She was wrapped in arms that made her safe and kept all the demons away. She felt protected, loved and most of all, treasured. She thought to herself that this must be how Buffy felt when Angel held her. She snuggled closer to her vampire. *Her vampire.* She smiled a little in her sleep, thinking of him that way.  
  
"Dawn?" She didn't want to wake up. If she woke up, she'd have to move away from him. and that was not what she wanted to do. "Dawn, please." Her eyes flew open. She recognized the timber of his voice. He was getting really hungry. "Dawn, let me up. Come on, pet. I promise I'll be right back." He was fighting an urge to feed from her.  
  
Suddenly, she sat up. "Spike, we were supposed to go to the butcher's today for a new supply of blood. We ran out last night. Remember?" Looking over at him, she was worried. He had his game face on and she could tell that the blood lust was almost too strong to fight. He had also forgotten about getting more blood that day.  
  
Dawn came to a conclusion. She would feed Spike. She darted from the bed to the door and then to the kitchen. She needed to take care of Spike the way he had taken care of her. She pulled the filet knife out of the drawer and lay her wrist on the counter. Making sure that she wasn't cutting too deep would be the trick. She drew the knife across her wrist, drawing blood. She drained some into the mug he usually used for his blood.  
  
She grabbed the edge of the counter as the room started spinning. Grabbing the nearest towel and wrapping her wrist, Dawn started for the stairs carrying the mug for Spike. But he had smelt the blood and came downstairs. He took the mug and set it on the counter. Then, he sat her down at the island and looked at her wrist. Satisfied that the cut wasn't life- threatening, he picked up the mug and drained it quickly in order to take the edge of his bloodlust. Then, he set about bandaging Dawn's wrist. "Dawn, that was a stupid thing to do. What if I had been unable to control the blood lust? What if I had taken the towel off your wrist and fed straight from you? You wouldn't have been able to fight me off. Not in your weakened state."  
  
"I had to take care of you. You missed getting your blood because of me. I couldn't let you go hungry."  
  
"Dawn, that is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. I love that you chose to feed me from yourself but it's dangerous, pet. Promise me you won't ever do that again? Especially not when I haven't eaten in a couple of days. Promise?"  
  
"I promise. But I don't swear." Before Spike could protest, she continued. "I care about you, Spike. You've been there when no one else knew how to deal with me. You hold me when I feel alone. You are so much more than just my friend. I felt all alone the whole time you were gone. I won't lose you to hunger. Not when I can do something about it."  
  
"Dawn, I could have gone to Willie's and gotten something to tide me over until Monday."  
  
"I don't like the thought of you going anywhere when you're like that. What if Buffy or Angel had seen you leave the house like that? They would have thought that you had killed me and staked you without checking on me." Dawn started crying. The thought that Spike might be mad at her hurt. She had only been trying to take care of him!  
  
"Now, pet. I'm not mad at you. I'm scared because sometimes I just can't fight the hunger and I'm afraid that sometime you'll do just what you did today and I'll turn around and kill you. Or that you'll try to draw some blood and cut too deep or in the wrong place and be dead before I realize what you've done."  
  
"I'm sorry, Spike. I just wanted to help."  
  
"Pet, I know that. You don't have to risk yourself to take care of me. If you didn't want to let me leave the house like that, you could have gone to Willie's for me."  
  
"That's in a bad neighborhood. Would you really trust demons around me?"  
  
"I know you can take care of yourself, bit. Besides, they should all know that if they hurt you, they have to deal with me. The Big Bad."  
  
She giggled. "Not even the kind of naughty."  
  
"Where did you learn about that phrase? I'll strangle Harris if he . . ."  
  
"He didn't tell me about it." She kind of turned away from Spike. "I kind of picked it out of his head. He didn't know I had done it."  
  
"Where did you learn to do that?"  
  
"I figured it out one day when it came to me just what Willow was thinking about some idiot that worked for her. I concentrated on that thought and found out exactly who she was talking about and why and she never even knew I was there."  
  
"Sweets, you shouldn't go prying into people's minds."  
  
"I don't normally. But the other day, when Xander started talking to Willow about you, the image of you tied up in a chair in his parents' basement came across crystal clear and I just had to find out what that was all about." It wasn't very funny to her how they had tied Spike up and made him completely dependant on them. He was a vampire and what the Initiative had done to him was bad enough. But to have the gang treat him like a dog was just plain wrong.  
  
"It wasn't a fun time." She stepped up to him and gently laid her hand on his face. He caught it and held it there. He treasured every little gesture that she made to show him how much she cared. She was the best of all the Scoobies. Always making sure that he was ok. Even the big things she did, like cutting herself to feed him. Always thinking of him first and herself second. It amazed him that anyone cared that much about him.  
  
"Spike, I - -" What would she say? *I love you.* Right. Like that would go over easy. He was like more than a hundred years older than she was. Their relationship would never work. *Wait. Buffy and Angel worked out. And there's a lot more age difference with them than with Spike and I.* She ran out the back door and into the night.  
  
"Dawn!" He was suddenly scared. What was wrong? What made her run off like that? He ran after her.  
  
Throwing open the door to Spike's old crypt, Dawn fled down the ladder and threw herself on the bed that still stood in the corner. She cried inconsolably for about twenty minutes before she cried herself to sleep.  
  
Spike was running through the graveyard, shouting Dawn's name. He hadn't found her yet and was getting close to the mansion. Maybe Buffy and Angel could help him find her. If he hadn't found her by the time he reached the mansion, . . .  
  
"Spike, what are you doing out here?" Buffy's voice rang out as she almost ran into him.  
  
"Looking for Dawn. We were talking in the kitchen and suddenly she ran out. I've been looking for her."  
  
"We'll help." Suddenly, Spike stopped and sniffed the air. Dawn's scent. "She's over this way." They ran toward Spike's old crypt. "She's in here." He followed the scent inside and down the ladder. There was Dawn curled up on the bed in the corner sound asleep with fresh tear tracks on her face. Spike sat down on the edge of the bed and touched her shoulder. Dawn sat bolt upright on the bed. She wiped at her eyes with a grubby hand and tried to hide the fact that she had been crying.  
  
"Dawn, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I needed to get out of the house and came here because . . ." She bowed her head and started crying again.  
  
Spike pulled her in close and stroked her hair. "I'll take her home."  
  
Just then, Buffy saw the gauze wrapped around Dawn's wrist. "What the hell is going on?"  
  
"She fed me. We ran out of blood and before I could stop her, she cut her wrist to feed me. I yelled at her about it and that was about the time that she ran out."  
  
Buffy sat down on the bed. Dawn looked at her sister as if afraid that she was going to hate her. "I don't hate you, Dawnie." She put a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "I understand." She looked at Spike. "Can we have a moment alone?"  
  
He nodded and went upstairs and sat on the doorstep.  
  
"Dawn, do you love Spike?"  
  
"I do. I worry so much about him. He takes care of me and I just want to take care of him. When he told me that what I had done was stupid, it hurt so much. I didn't know what to do. So I ran."  
  
"I remember the first time I realized how I felt about Angel. I was terrified. He had given me his jacket and I wore it almost everywhere. Until I found out what he really was. He tried to convince me that he wouldn't hurt me. I finally believed him when he staked his sire, Darla, to protect me."  
  
"I still remember when he left you. You were inconsolable for weeks."  
  
"Was I really that bad?"  
  
"Worse. Mom thought that you were going loony. She hated to see you like that. She told me that if she had known how you would react to Angel leaving, she never would have told him that it was for the best."  
  
"Mom told him that it would be best if he left me?"  
  
"She didn't know until later that I had followed her to the mansion and listened to the conversation. Angel knew I was there though. I begged him not to hurt you like that. I tried to get him to stay. I didn't want to see you cry anymore and you were only happy when he was here."  
  
"Thanks, Dawnie. You know I don't approve of Spike. I probably won't ever truly approve of him but if he is what, or who, you want, I'll try not to stand in the way." Buffy wrapped her arms around her little sister. "I got what I wanted. I hope this is right for you."  
  
"I love him and I think he loves me too."  
  
She didn't realize that Spike was listening to the conversation. He cried, knowing that her feelings mirrored his. Angel stood nearby watching the young vampire struggle with his feelings for the youngest Summers. He knew what it was like. He had struggled with his feelings for Buffy repeatedly over the years.  
  
"Spike? You ok?"  
  
"The little bit and her sister needed some private time." Spike wiped his eyes trying to hide his tears from Angel. He knew it didn't work but at least he had the good manners to not mention it.  
  
Suddenly, Buffy and Dawn were behind him and he stood up. "Ready to go home, pet?"  
  
Dawn smiled at the vampire who had stolen the last Summers heart. "You bet. Let's go home." Spike tentatively reached out and took Dawnie's hand. Angel and Buffy watched them go and smiled as they wrapped arms around each other and walked back to the mansion.  
  
Walking back toward the house, Spike just enjoyed being with Dawn and holding her hand. He was rather surprised when they walked up the front steps of the house without being stopped by any evil creatures. He escorted Dawn up to her room and tucked her into bed.  
  
She was asleep almost immediately. Spike brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, pet." She rolled over and snuggled up tight to her body pillow.  
  
Even in her sleep, she knew when he was gone. Her sleep was still peaceful although not as much. That night, Spike spent the night on the couch downstairs in the living room, not wanting to be too far from Dawn.  
  
The next morning, Dawn woke up to Spike calling her from the doorway. "Dawn, time for breakfast. Come on, luv."  
  
"Still tired. Why don't you come lay down with me?"  
  
"Breakfast is ready, ducks. Come on down. Time to eat." She got out of her bed and headed for the bathroom.  
  
"Can we watch TV together for a while today?"  
  
"We'll see what happens after breakfast. We should be okay for today."  
  
"Don't forget that I need to get you a new supply of blood today. I don't want a repeat of yesterday."  
  
"I won't, luv." He didn't want a repeat of yesterday either. He had been so scared when Dawn ran off. No one could have been more worried about her than he had been.  
  
Later that night, Dawn was snuggled up to Spike on the couch. She was a little sleepy after supper and a bath. They were watching some silly movie on TV. He was reclined on the couch with her laying between his legs and her head on his chest just under his chin. They had been working all day to clean the house and get everything in order because the Social Services guys would be by the next day to check on how things were going at the house.  
  
Buffy and Angel would be showing up at about 8 am. Buffy would deal with the guy from Social Services while Spike slept. It had already been arranged that he would sleep in Buffy's room and it would be presented as he was a cousin from out of town who's been staying with the family for the past couple of weeks. He works late at night when he's at home and so is used to being up all night.  
  
"Good morning, Ms. Summers. How are you today?"  
  
"I'm fine, Mr. Andrews. How are you?" Buffy hated this man but she was nice to him in order to keep her sister in the house. After all, Dawn was the only blood relation she had left. Even though Dawn was more like her daughter than her sister. Dawn had been made from her. That made her Buffy's daughter.  
  
"Fine. Where's Dawn?"  
  
"I'm right here, Mr. Andrews. And I'm fine. Just a little glad that this is the last time we have to go through with this. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm under a microscope."  
  
"Well, after today, there won't be anymore of these visits." Mr. Andrews sat down at the island in the kitchen. "How have things been around here lately?"  
  
"Dawn missed school on Friday due to being sick. She was running a fever and in general feeling pretty nasty. Our cousin, William was here and helped take care of her all day. I was working and most of the night. He's always been really fond of Dawn."  
  
"Where is William?"  
  
"He's upstairs sleeping. I've moved into my mother's old room and he's staying in mine. He works nights and is all too used to being up late while sleeping all day." Just then, Angel walked in the back door. "Hey, Angel." He walked up to Buffy and kissed her. Then, he walked over and kissed Dawn on the forehead.  
  
"Morning, sweetheart. Morning, Dawnie." He held out his hand. "You must be Mr. Andrews from Social Services. Buffy told me you were coming by today. I hope everything's ok."  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Liam Angelus O'Donelly. Buffy's husband. After getting Dawn off to school and Buffy off to work, I visit with William and then head over to finish cleaning up the house that we're all moving into together."  
  
"I guess congratulations are in order. I hope you are all really happy together." He took a deep breath. "Everything seems to be in order here. I'll turn in my final report today and that should be the end of it. And happy birthday, Dawn."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Andrews. And goodbye." Buffy walked the man to the door and leaned against the door after she closed it behind him. Dawn headed back up the stairs and turned around to look at Buffy and Angel by the door.  
  
He stepped toward Dawn who took a step back. "Don't come near me. I don't need this harassment. Social Services won't be back. You two can go on about your lives now. I'll be fine."  
  
"Dawnie, please don't be like this. I love you and so does Angel. We just want what's best for you."  
  
"Just go home. I'll be ok. Spike's upstairs asleep and I'm just going to lay down and rest for now."  
  
She turned around and walked up the stairs. Buffy just sighed and she left with Angel.  
  
When she got up the stairs, Dawn didn't go to her room. Instead, she walked into Buffy's room. She kicked off her shoes and lay down next to Spike putting her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her in his sleep. He pulled her close and rubbed her arm.  
  
"It's all right, pet. If you need to cry, do it. I won't mind." The dam holding back her tears broke just then at his tender words and she sobbed helplessly into his chest.  
  
Spike nearly cried himself as he held his little bit. Feeling the sobs wracking her body, he knew it was because of Buffy and Angel. He hated to see Dawn like this but knew that she had to deal with this problem on her own. All he could do is be a support for her and hold her when she needed it.  
  
Later that afternoon, when the two of them woke up, Spike had an idea. When Dawn came back from washing her face, Spike asked her, "What say we go to a movie, pet?"  
  
"What movie?"  
  
"You pick."  
  
Dawn chose some sweet sappy movie about romance. Spike went with the intent of enjoying himself because of being out in public with Dawn. They just weren't expecting to bump into Kirstie the snob at the theater.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Kirstie."  
  
"Watch where you're going, freak!" Spike looked on from the ticket counter, curious. The little wench just called HIS Dawn a freak?  
  
"I said I was sorry, Kirstie." Just then, Spike appeared at Dawn's side. He draped an arm around Dawn's shoulders, giving her a show of support.  
  
"Is this git bothering you, luv?" he rumbled from beside her. Kirstie looked at Spike. Her attitude changed drastically. She suddenly had a predatory look to her and Dawn didn't like anyone looking at HER Spike like that.  
  
"Who is this?" Kirstie asked.  
  
"Kirstie, this is Spike."  
  
"Your sister's boyfriend?"  
  
With an impish glint in her eyes, Dawn craned her head to look up at Spike. He knew what she was going to say next. "No. MY boyfriend." Spike bent his head and kissed her forehead, relishing the look of total amazement Kirstie had on her face.  
  
When Dawn shivered, Spike pulled off his duster and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Can't have you getting chilled now pet, can we?" She shook her head and leaned into his shoulder. "Let's go get some soda and popcorn or candy. Whatever you choose."  
  
And, with that, they walked into the theater, leaving Kirstie with her mouth wide open in shock.  
  
Two hours later, Kirstie watched as Spike and Dawn walked out of the theater with his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist. She was still wearing the duster. Kirstie couldn't believe it. What could that gorgeous guy see in Dawn? Kirstie was so much the better for him. She just knew it. The question was how to get him to notice her.  
  
The next day, Dawn woke up to rain pouring down and Spike yelling at her to get out of bed and get ready for school. She rolled out of bed and got dressed.  
  
"Dawn!! You have ten minutes to get to school!! Let's go, pet!!" Spike sometimes hated having to wake Dawn up. She looked so cute when she slept.  
  
She looked in the mirror and decided against putting her duster on. Maybe Spike would let her wear his. Then, she could really rub her boyfriend in Kirstie's face. She grabbed her books and ran down the stairs.  
  
As she reached for the front door, Spike caught her shoulder. "Now, ducks, I don't really fancy you going out without a coat, getting soaked and catching pneumonia. Big sis would have my head. Not to mention my own guilt." He handed her his duster off the hook by the door. "Take mine. Just be careful with it."  
  
"No problem. I know that it's one of your trophies." She kissed him on the cheek and ran out the door.  
  
At school that day, Kirstie kept trying to talk to Dawn. Dawn kept walking away from Kirstie. Finally, just before school let out for the day, Kirstie cornered Dawn in the restroom. "So why don't you and Spike ever do anything?"  
  
"He works nights and sleeps during the day. We usually get two nights a week just for us. We don't bother going out because we normally have more fun sitting at home and watching a couple of movies and eating pizza."  
  
"Do you --?"  
  
"No. Spike is a perfect gentleman. There have been nights when we have fallen asleep in each other's arms in front of the TV but he has never tried anything with me." She smiled. "He said he would know when I was ready for that step in our relationship."  
  
"So, does the almighty Buffy know about Spike?"  
  
"Of course she does. Who do you think introduced us?' Dawn pushed past Kirstie and went to her last class, smiling because for a change Kirstie couldn't take something away from her.  
  
Dawn had all but run home from school. She was in a great mood since Kirstie couldn't touch her anymore. She skipped up to Buffy's room and bounced on the bed. She wanted Spike to wake up.  
  
"Bit, it's not a really good idea to wake me up like this." Spike growled as he tried to roll away from her.  
  
"I'm not a freak! I'm not a freak!"  
  
He grabbed Dawn and sat her down on the bed. "You never have been a freak. Never could be." He pulled her close. His lips met hers and he kissed her thoroughly. He pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Sorry, bit."  
  
"For what?" She looked into his eyes and he looked away. "I'm glad you kissed me. Saves me the trouble of kissing you first and looking like a little . . . "  
  
"Don't. You are a wonderful, beautiful young woman. If anyone says otherwise, they're wrong. And blind." He gently flipped the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. His eyes stared right into hers as he leaned in to kiss her again.  
  
This time, the kiss was gentle and deep. It was the type of kiss Dawn had always imagined Buffy and Angel sharing. She was trembling as he pulled away. Her lips were swollen and wet. Her face was totally flushed. She was breathing fast and he could hear her heart, pumping fast and hard.  
  
"Wow!" she whispered. "Wow!"  
  
Spike chuckled. It was a low rumble deep in his chest. "A little speechless, pet?"  
  
She just sighed and fell over on the bed, curling into a little ball with a really huge grin on her face. She closed her eyes and was asleep in no time. Her adrenaline burned out rather quickly. He chuckled again and pulled the sheet up over her. He then headed downstairs to start supper.  
  
Dawn pushed away from the table. "That was amazing. The steak was perfect." She leaned back against the back of her chair and stretched.  
  
"Homework time, pet." Spike stood up and started clearing the table.  
  
"I hate homework. Especially history."  
  
"I'll be up after a bit in order to help you with history. Get everything else done first."  
  
"Ok. Bring up the usual drinks?"  
  
"Of course." Spike was smiling as he started clearing the table so he could do dishes.  
  
Of course, Spike didn't smile for long when he came upstairs carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. He knocked on Dawn's door and waited for her to tell him to come in. When she did, he entered the room -- and stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
"Where in the bloody hell did you find that thing?"  
  
"In a chest in the basement. Don't you like it?"  
  
Dawn was wearing what was obviously an old tie-dyed t-shirt and a short pair of shorts. Like it? Spike loved the way the shirt looked on Dawn and that was the problem.  
  
"That chest downstairs is mine, luv. That shirt happens to be the one I wore at Woodstock." He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't believe that I let Dru talk me into keeping that bloody thing. She always did have a soft spot for those flower children. Maybe because she felt like she belonged with them."  
  
"I might have known that HER name would come up." Dawn got off her bed and walked to the window. She didn't want Spike to see just how much it bothered her to hear him talk about Drusilla.  
  
"Jealous, pet?" She whipped her head around to glare at him and he saw the pain in her eyes. "Dawn, you'll just have to accept the fact that Dru was a major part of my life back then. We ran together for more than a hundred years."  
  
"I hate her. She hurt you. More than once."  
  
"Yes. She did. But there's no reason to hate her. She was crazy. She did a lot of stuff that I wanted to dust her for myself. But don't hate her. She's not worth the effort."  
  
Dawn shrugged and sat back down on the bed. "So tell me all about Woodstock. What was it like with all those people?"  
  
Spike chuckled and started with some of his stories.  
  
Several weeks later, Dawn was going through some of Spike's old photo albums and came across a picture that really interested her. It was an old newspaper clipping about a roller dancing competition in New York City. The picture was of a girl that could have been her. The thing that really drew her attention was the guy this girl was roller dancing with. It looked a lot like Spike.  
  
She thought it had to be just a coincidence until she noticed Spike's handwriting next to the picture. 'My Karia. Dancing Queen. New York City. 1977.' It gave her an idea.  
  
Two days later came her first chance to ask Spike about the picture. "Spike, who was Karia?"  
  
"What?" Her question took him completely by surprise. He hadn't thought about Karia in years. "How did you find out about Karia?" Dawn held up the photo album. He sat down on the couch. "Cop a squat, pet. I'll tell you about her."  
  
Once Dawn was comfortable, Spike started the story.  
  
"In early 1977, Dru and I found ourselves in New York. Since we appeared to be stuck there for a while, we decided to create as much chaos and disruption as we could.  
  
Dru loved to roller skate so we started spending a lot of time at roller rinks. We were out one night when I saw her. Karia, the dancing queen.  
  
Dru would hunt each night while I wanted the quick kill each night. Then I would go to the rink to watch Karia. She taught me to skate and we started to skate together. She was so much like you. Always moving, full of energy. Always looking at everything with those intense emerald green eyes.  
  
I took to the skating in order to get close to her. She was tall and gangly, while Dru was elegant and graceful. Off the ice that is. On the ice, Dru was the awkward one compared to Karia.  
  
The problems started when Dru realized that I had no intention of killing Karia or turning her. That's when she started torturing the girl. She would leave vicious notes. Sending minions to follow her and frighten her was normal. In short, she took matters into her own hands.  
  
A few days later, I heard that Karia had disappeared. Three days later, she was left where I would find her after spending all night searching for her. She was left not three blocks from where Dru and I were staying.  
  
As I headed down the alley that night, the smell of blood was almost nauseating even to me. What I found in that alley that night has haunted me ever since.  
  
Karia was dead. Even if I hadn't had the ability to hear a heartbeat which wasn't there, just looking at the body was enough. Her throat had been ripped out after several vamps "used" her. They carved the words "Vamp Whore" into her legs and had bitten her breasts numerous times.  
  
Since the sun was about to come up, I hid her body and burned it the next night. Then I attacked Dru. I beat her, carved words into her skin. I poured holy water on her and shoved a cross into her.  
  
That was the night that I started to hate Dru.  
  
He looked into the fear-filled eyes of his Nibblet when he finished his story. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, pet. I want you to know that I am not the creature I was then."  
  
Dawn slid across the room and crawled into Spike's lap. "I know. Do you really think I would trust you if I thought you were still capable of that?"  
  
"Dawn, I love you."  
  
"I love you too, William." He loved the sound of that, his mortal name rolling off her tongue.  
  
They fell asleep just like that, with her curled up on his lap and him leaning back against the back of the couch. 


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner Dates and Revelations

"Buffy, I thought we agreed. No patrolling until Tirina was six months old."  
  
"No, Giles. You and Angel agreed. I'm bored and need to do something to fill the time until Angel gets back. I'm also really rusty in the slayage department. I've been out of the loop for six months already! Another three and I'll be so far behind on the slayage that I won't even remember which end of a stake to put through the vampire's heart!!" Buffy turned to her best friend. "A little support please?"  
  
"Giles, I have an idea. I mean, things have been really quiet around here lately so maybe we could let her do a quick sweep and I'll watch Tirri while she's gone. Then, she'll report back here and pick up Tirri all at the same time." She looked nervously between her friend and the Watcher. She hoped the Watcher would remember that Spike went patrolling early and then would go again later on. There shouldn't be any fledglings out and about right now.  
  
"All right. One quick sweep and then back here to pick up your daughter." Giles gave in as Buffy knew he would. He always did. "Need I say be careful?"  
  
Buffy just gave him a look which said, 'You just did.' Then, she was gone.  
  
Patrols went just about the same for the next several days. The next thing Buffy knew, Angel was due home and then she would be happy to relax for a couple of days and let him take over.  
  
That night, Buffy went out a little earlier than usual which meant that Spike hadn't had a chance to go out and clear the streets. She was a little distracted by the thought that Angel was coming home tonight and the way she planned to greet him. She had planned a nice quiet evening with just the two of them. Tirri would stay with Aunt Willow.  
  
She didn't even notice the vampires until she was practically on top of them. Then, she noticed that six of them were trying to drag off one young man who obviously hadn't listened to anyone when it came to warnings of Sunnydale at night.  
  
"Oh! Look at the pretty picnic!" She pouted as she continued, "But I wasn't invited!" Four vamps let go of the boy and came after her. She dusted them relatively quickly, not realizing that Spike was nearby watching her. She started to run after the other two but was stopped by the vamp that she hadn't seen. He shot her with a high powered rifle. She fell to the ground immediately and Spike stepped in.  
  
He dispatched the two that held the boy and then the one that had shot Buffy before turning to help the fallen Slayer. He looked her over thoroughly and saw that the bullet had gone straight through. Once he was sure that she would live long enough to get her to the hospital, he picked her up and headed into the night.  
  
"You let her patrol?!?!?!" Angel was furious. He had just gotten back into town and, seeing that Buffy wasn't home, had gone over to Willow's, not knowing that Buffy had been patrolling for several nights now and nothing had happened.  
  
"Spike had already been out and taken care of all the fledglings. Giles and I didn't think it would hurt. She was bored and if we had insisted that she not go, she would have gone anyway." Willow dropped her head and continued. "Angel, Spike came by shortly after Buffy left Tirri here and asked if she had already gone out. I think he was just starting out on his run for the night."  
  
"I'll go run a quick check and see if she's home yet." Angel turned to the door and opened it to find Spike on the other side.  
  
"Angel, you'd better come with me. Buffy's at the hospital."  
  
"What?!?!?!" came the chorus from both Angel and Willow.  
  
"Damned fledglings are getting desparate. They shot her. I have the rifle and took out what vamps she didn't at the site before running her to the hospital but I got her there in time. It looked like the bullet went straight through. Angel, she was crying for you when she came round. She begged me to come here and wait for you. You have to come quickly. I didn't like seeing her that scared."  
  
"She wants me to come to the hospital." Angel was in shock. He followed as Spike led him out to the car.  
  
The car hadn't even stopped completely at the hospital before Angel was off and running for the door. Buffy had been shot and he wasn't sure how to take this. At least, Spike had been there to get her to the hospital.  
  
"Where's Buffy?" He was standing at the nurse's station when Spike caught up to him.  
  
"Follow me, Angel. I know what room she's in." The nurse just stood still, staring off after the two men who were obviously so distraught.  
  
Angel sat in the chair beside Buffy's bed while she slept. He was convinced that she would be just fine and was resting comfortably. He was just about to doze off when the door opened and Giles walked in.  
  
"Angel, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't think there was any danger."  
  
"I know. I don't blame you, Giles. She is a stubborn bit of baggage isn't she?" He had a wry grin on his face and his Irish lilt was back. Since he had shanshued, it always seemed to return when his emotions were running high.  
  
"I just can't help but think that I could have prevented this if I had only been firmer."  
  
"Giles, we should feel lucky that we were able to keep her out of the game for this long." Just then, the phone rang and Angel picked it up before it woke Buffy. "Hello?"  
  
"Angel, is Spike there? Willow told me what happened. Where is he?"  
  
"Easy, Dawn. He's on his way home. He left about five minutes ago. He'll be there shortly." Angel heard yelling and screaming through the phone. "Dawn, what's going on?"  
  
"Vamps. In front of the house. They keep saying that they killed the Slayer and now they want me. I'm scared, Angel. I want Spike."  
  
"Dawn, calm down. I'm sure he's already seen the crowd on the front lawn and is trying to figure a way to get them away from you." Angel hoped he was right. Dawn was crying and if Buffy woke up and found out that her little sister was in danger, . . .  
  
"Angel?" came the tired voice from the bed. "What's wrong with Dawn?"  
  
"It's ok, Buffy. I'm sure Spike has the whole situation under control." He heard more yelling in the background and Spike's voice above the din.  
  
"Now, pet!" Suddenly, it sounded like the phone fell from Dawn's hands and Angel heard a sickening thud as a body hit the floor.  
  
"Dawn! Dawn!" Angel hung up the phone and ran for the door.  
  
Giles just watched Angel run out of the hospital and then took his seat beside Buffy to keep her company while they waited for word.  
  
Angel arrived at the house to find Dawn just regaining conciousness in Spike's arms. "What happened?"  
  
"I - -" Dawn started and tried to get to her feet a little quicker than her head thought wise. Her world spun and Spike set her on the couch.  
  
"Vamps tried to get at her. Thankfully, we had a contingency plan set up. Dawn's been learning a little bit about what she can do as the Key. She used one of her powers. She's not strong enough to use it and stay standing but she can use it."  
  
Dawn smiled weakly. "I dusted all non-souled creatures within the property. Just by thinking about it."  
  
"And impressive it was too. To see twenty vamps all go pouff at once. It took a moment to regain my sight after that. Quite the dust cloud." He seemed quite proud of Dawn.  
  
"And you were scared?" Angel seemed dumbfounded by the fact that Dawn was so powerful and yet for some reason was terrified when she called the hospital.  
  
"I don't like to use my powers without someone I trust around. I never know if I'm going to pass out or stay awake and if I pass out without someone here to take care of me. . ."  
  
"Never happen, luv." Spike refused to think about what could have happened had she tried to use the power and failed without him there. His Dawn would have been a tasty snack for some vamp. "Big sis, Peaches or me. One of us will always be there for you when you need us."  
  
Angel knelt down in front of her. "He's right. The three of us will always take care of you. All you have to do is say the word and we'll be here." He took Dawn's hand. "Buffy never wanted to hurt you. She realizes that she did though and both of us admit that, when it comes to each other, we don't tend to think very clearly."  
  
Dawn giggled. "You think?" Spike laughed as he watched Angel's apology to Dawn progress to a big hug.  
  
Suddenly, Angel pulled back. "Shall we all go see Buffy now? She's probably wondering why I haven't been back yet. After all, I didn't really explain anything when I left."  
  
Spike laughed. "Maybe we should let the bit go in first. That way, she can calm Buffy down before I go in there and get dusted for leaving Dawn alone."  
  
"Buffy's the first to admit she has a tendency to overreact to everything."  
  
The trio left the house with Dawn complaining about having to clean up all the dust on the front porch.  
  
'Dawn, are you quite alright?" Giles asked as they came walking up. He seemed quite flustered.  
  
"Aside from a major big headache, fine, Giles." Dawn quickly reassured Giles that she would fill him in when she told Buffy about the whole situation. He then followed her down to Buffy's room.  
  
"Dawnie! You ok?" Buffy was sitting up while a nurse was trying to convince her that she needed to lay down before she tore stitches.  
  
"I'm fine. Just a major headache." Dawn closed her eyes and held her hand out toward her sister. Buffy seemed to relax visibly and laid down in the bed. "Now, listen to the nurse and the doctors. They want to help you and we want them to help." Dawn's knees almost buckled and Spike and Angel each grabbed an arm, setting her gently in the chair next to Buffy's bed.  
  
Buffy drifted back to sleep as Dawn's eyes closed. Both were exhausted by their exciting night and Spike and Angel watched over the young women as they slept.  
  
The next day, Angel took Buffy home, the stitches having dissolved on their own after Slayer healing kicked in. She was already healed and ready to go home.  
  
"Angel, really. I'm fine." Buffy was sitting on the couch and wanted to get up to take care of Tirina. Angel hadn't let her do anything in almost a week.  
  
"The doctor doesn't want us to take any chances. I don't want you taking any chances right now." He turned to smile at her. "Besides, don't forget that we have dinner at Dawn's tonight."  
  
"I didn't know that Dawn could cook. I wonder who's been teaching her."  
  
"Maybe she's just ordering from someplace and serving it up on plates."  
  
"She said she was actually going to cook. I know it wasn't me. I can't cook to save my life."  
  
"You're getting better at it."  
  
"Yeah. I can actually boil water without burning the pan."  
  
"Buffy- "  
  
"We have to face certain facts, Angel. I can't cook and I'm not getting better at it. Mom could've taught her to cook."  
  
"You've had other things to worry about besides learning to cook. After all, you've had to save the world numerous times.  
  
"You'd think I'd have learned something about cooking just out of necessity after Mom died."  
  
Angel hated to see Buffy like this. "You still could learn. If Dawn knows how, maybe she'll teach you.  
  
"I may just try that. After all, I have two people to cook for now. I can't exactly let you monopolize the kitchen now can I?" She giggled as she pictured Angel in his usual apron and pots steaming all over the place.  
  
"Hi, Dawnie. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine. How do you feel, Buffy?"  
  
"Better. Now that Angel finally lets me off the couch to take care of things occassionally."  
  
"Don't want her to end up back in the hospital. I have my hands full when I have her at home to help with Tirri. But when she's not there. . . "  
  
"Tirri's a bit of a handful then?" asked Spike walking into the living room from the kitchen. He kissed Dawn on the forehead and draped an arm around her shoulder. "I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm going on an early patrol tonight. It seems that since Dawn here started learning to use her powers, several demons have decided to start crawling out of the woodwork."  
  
"Like what?" asked Angel.  
  
"There's been a few Mohra's hanging about and a couple of baazors. Even been a Leithona or two."  
  
"What? I thought those things were extinct!" Angel exclaimed.  
  
"Apparently not. Lots of things been attracted by the Bit's forays into her powers."  
  
As the two guys sat down to talk about the demons Dawn's powers had attracted, Buffy followed Dawn to the kitchen. "Dawn, who taught you how to cook?"  
  
"Well, you taught me some and so did Mom. Spike taught me the rest of what I needed to know about a kitchen." Just then Buffy realized that Spike's duster was hanging by the back door. "He's been letting me borrow it on those rainy mornings we've had lately." Dawn had seen where her sister's eyes had wandered.  
  
"So, Spike knows his way around a kitchen?" Buffy hadn't even heard Angel come up behind her.  
  
"Well, he can't go out during the day. So he spends a lot of time watching the Food Network. He's learned a lot and quite often cooks for me."  
  
"That doesn't sound like the Spike I know."  
  
"He's changed Angel. You should see him sometimes. He helps me with my homework. I even got a B on my history midterm thanks to him. He's helping me keep the house clean and he's even taken care of me when I was sick. He's also been helping me learn to control my power. He keeps reminding me that unless I control the power, it will control me and then people can take advantage of me and hurt me with my own power."  
  
"It does sound like he's changed some, Angel."  
  
"Thank you, Buffy. He's also really kept Kirstie off my back." Dawn then proceeded to explain their movie experience to Buffy and Angel and got a really good laugh out of it. "I could just see Kirstie's face if she knew who Spike really was!" The image of Kirstie running in fear for her life with absolutely no semblance of her usual cool was totally hilarious.  
  
A little later they were sitting down at the table to eat when there was a crash outside. They all heard a "BLOODY HELL!" and then some more crashing around. Dawn just kept on eating. Suddenly, all was quiet and Spike walked into the kitchen. "Pet, do you mind if I go take a shower?"  
  
"Go ahead. Are you ok?"  
  
"I'll be fine. That Olgark demon though isn't."  
  
"What is an Olgark demon?"  
  
"Nasty creature. Its head looks kind of like a baazor and the body looks like, well, an octopus."  
  
Angel spoke up at this point. "I haven't seen an Olgark demon in at least one hundred years. Maybe longer. I thought they were extinct."  
  
"Obviously not, mate. I just killed one. Like I said earlier, ever since Dawn started exploring her powers, demons have been crawling out of the woodwork. Ones that I haven't seen in years."  
  
"Angel, how bad is that Olgark demon?"  
  
"Usually pretty bad." He looked at Spike. "Was it an older one or a young one?"  
  
"Just a young one. It was too stupid to know when to run." Spike laughed. "I'd love to stay and chat but unlike you, mate, I don't like slime in my hair." He headed up the stairs to the bathroom.  
  
"He's made himself right at home here. Hasn't he?"  
  
"Of course. That's why he's able to check on me when I'm asleep and wake me up from my nightmares."  
  
"Nightmares? About what?"  
  
"From that bad time." Dawn hung her head. "The time I try not to think about."  
  
"It's ok, Dawnie. I try not to think about it either. It wasn't any fun for either of us."  
  
Just then, Spike walked down the stairs drying his hair. He saw Dawn sitting at the table with her head down and went straight to her. "Bit, you ok?"  
  
"We were just talking about my nightmares."  
  
He knelt beside her and looked up at her. "Don't think about that. I told you. Those are just bad memories. They helped make you the person you are now. Let it go. You don't need to worry about that time anymore. Glory's gone and she can't bother you anymore. Just focus on the future and live for now."  
  
"Spike, I can't help it. I hate this whole nightmare thing but ever since I started with the powers they've been getting stronger and more vivid. I just want them to go away." She started crying. She slipped out of her chair and knelt in front of him. He just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close.  
  
"It's ok. I'm here. Quietly, luv. Take it easy." He stroked her hair. He held her until she calmed down and Angel just watched. He was a little more than uneasy about this whole thing. He could see him and Buffy watching Spike and Dawn together. But Spike's soul wasn't a curse. Maybe that changed things. Maybe that's where their relationship would be different than his and Buffy's. Buffy stepped closer to Angel with a worried look on her face. Angel wrapped an arm around Buffy to reassure her.  
  
Dawn looked up and saw everyone watching the two of them together. She stood up and straightened her shirt and all. "He's here. I guess we Summers women have a bad habit of falling for guys that are just all kinds of not right for us."  
  
Buffy giggled. "How true!" Just then, Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy and kissed her thoroughly.  
  
After dinner, the four of them sat and talked for a while about a lot of different things. In particular the time when Spike was insane and living in the basement ruins of the high school.  
  
"Remember when we blew up the old high school?"  
  
"Do I ever?! It was the hardest day of my life. I had to kill the mayor, nearly getting caught in the explosion. And then I had to watch you walk away from me. Of course, when I started college, I met Riley and went off on the whole weird boyfriend kick again." Buffy shook her head. "Not to mention the whole Parker fiasco. I thought Riley was so normal at first. Almost boringly normal. Then we found out about the Gentlemen and the Initiative. And the whole little Miss Normal routine was a total bust."  
  
Angel interrupted at that point. "What Parker fiasco?"  
  
Buffy blushed. "I guess I forgot to tell you about that one during our long talks. Parker Abrams was the first guy I slept with in college. I thought we cared about each other but come to find out the morning after all he wanted was the sex. He seemed to love rubbing it in my face for a while after that and I was miserable until Riley started chasing me."  
  
"Parker sounds like an ass."  
  
"He is. Was. Whatever."  
  
"Another thing strikes me. You said you nearly got caught in the explosion at the old school?"  
  
"I got hit by a flying piece of debris. Giles thought I had completely cleared the building when he pushed the plunger but one piece of metal smacked into my shoulder pretty hard. I had a bruise for a week."  
  
"Yet you didn't tell anyone?"  
  
"Giles knew. It isn't my fault if he failed to send you a letter all about it." Buffy hung her head. "I'm just kind of surprised that he didn't."  
  
"Hey." Angel pulled Buffy's face to his. "He didn't know where I had gone. There was only one person here that knew where I had gone. And he didn't tell because he even thought it was best that I leave. Especially since not even sending me to Hell could keep me from coming back to you. I wanted you to have a way to get a hold of me if you needed to."  
  
"He didn't even call you when the Initiative damn near got me killed. Or when that Adam thing was going on. Or Glory."  
  
"You know who I told."  
  
"Xander. And the whole time he could have gotten us some extra help. Spike did what he could against Glory but --" Buffy's voice trailed off.  
  
"I'm only one bloke and I was trying to protect the Nibblet here."  
  
"Buffy, Xander did call me when Glory was hunting Dawn. He told me what was going on and told me that if I came it might help or it might make things worse."  
  
"What? Worse? They couldn't have gotten worse!"  
  
"Yes. They could have. If I had been here, you would have been distracted and Dawn would have been unprotected at some point or other and Glory could have taken her long before she did." When Buffy tried to protest, Angel hushed her. "You have to admit when we were together, there wasn't a whole lot of thinking clearly going on."  
  
"True."  
  
"And if I had been here, Glory might have killed you sooner and then Dawn would have died and the world wouldn't be the place it is now." Angel brushed the tear on Buffy's cheek away with his thumb. "If it makes you feel better, Cordy was on a rant for weeks after she got over her grief. When Willow came to tell us what had happened, I was in full brood for almost two months. I went through the motions of my unlife. Maybe part of me was hoping that I would slip up and get myself dusted because it was so hard to go on, thinking that I would never see you again. I figured shanshu wasn't even worth it anymore. I didn't care if it happened or if it didn't anymore. Between Wes and Cordy nagging on me to, and I quote Cordy, "Pull my head out of my ass and get back to work", I finally figured that you wouldn't have wanted me to give up like that."  
  
"At least you got that right." Buffy lay her head on Angel's shoulder. She loved Angel so much that, if, when she had come back, they had told her that he was gone, she probably would have killed herself just to avoid living without him.  
  
"I love you, Buffy."  
  
"I love you too, Angel."  
  
**********************************  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to do the update on this chapter but I ran into a case of big time writer's block. Guess it's a good thing that I don't write for the show, huh? Well, read and review folks. You know the drill.  
  
I'm working on the next chapter's update and will hopefully have it out soon. 


	4. Chapter 4: Powers, Demons, and Fights

Oz was at home with Willow since it was the full moon and the older set of twins tended to make things hairy for their mom during the full moon. Spike was the only one left to patrol. Dawn had told him that she'd be all right by herself and he had gone out. She curled up on the couch to watch a sappy romantic movie.  
  
"Bit, time to go up to bed." She just rolled over on the couch. "All right then. I guess I can carry you as long as you don't mind the slime all over me." Dawn sat up on the couch.  
  
"Ok. Ok. I'll walk up." She looked at him. There was no slime anywhere on him. "You creep! That was a dirty trick!" She got up and ran upstairs. "Just for that you can sleep down here tonight and not upstairs."  
  
"That's fine." He decided to camp out on the couch tonight just in case Dawn needed him. He was too tired to argue with her. At least, if she was slightly upset with him, he would get some sleep tonight. Instead of trying to keep up with her aerobics all night long.  
  
He lay down on the couch after making sure the curtains were drawn tight. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.  
  
That's why, when Dawn started screaming, Spike heard and responded. He sat up on the couch and, as soon as he knew where the screams were coming from he ran up the stairs to Dawn's room. There, sitting on her chest, was a creature the likes of which he had never seen before. He didn't care. He charged in for a kill. He only knew that he had to protect Dawn. And she was scared. She couldn't move. She could barely breathe. She thought this thing was going to kill her.  
  
Suddenly, the creature went flying off her chest and across the room as Spike knocked it clear of her. "Run, Bit!" he yelled as he started punching the thing. She was so scared that all she could do is crawl into a corner and shake. He didn't see her sitting there watching him pummel this thing that had invaded her house.  
  
She couldn't just sit there and let Spike get hurt. She thought about her lessons. She realized what she had to do. She gathered her thoughts and threw them at the creature. The thing's head exploded, sending bits of goo everywhere. She then collapsed to the floor with a nosebleed.  
  
Spike sat back on his heels and pulled some of the goo from his hair. "Bloody hell! Why do I even bother?" He looked around for what could have caused the thing to blow like that. The sight which greeted him would have stopped a beating heart. Dawn was laying on the floor. Her hair covered her face but the blood on the floor told him that she was hurt. He had to know how badly. He crawled across the floor and rolled her into his arms, brushing the hair out of her face. The fact that the blood seemed to be coming from her nose and nowhere else did little to comfort him. He carried her down the hall to what had been her mother's room and laid her on the bed. He went and got a washcloth and wiped her face.  
  
"Come on, pet. Wake up. Let me know you're all right." He was more scared right then than he had ever been before. "Dawn, wake up. Just open your eyes for me, luv."  
  
She moaned and stirred. He relaxed a little. Just knowing she was alive was a major relief. At least Buffy wouldn't be dusting him for letting Dawn die. "Come on now, pet. Look at me." She opened her eyes just a little bit. "Good girl. Now why didn't you run when I told you to?"  
  
"Scared. Too scared to run. Too afraid to lose you."  
  
"Lose me? The big bad?"  
  
She cracked a smile. "Not even the kind of naughty."  
  
"Cute, Bit. Very cute." Spike chuckled, greatly relieved.  
  
Suddenly, she started shivering violently and her tears started falling. Spike pulled a blanket over her and lay down next to her, holding her close. "Don't go! Don't leave me, Spike! Stay with me! Please!"  
  
"Forever, pet. Forever." Spike knew that he could never leave Dawn. She was too fragile, emotionally, to survive that. He also didn't think she'd survive very long on her own without some kind of protection.  
  
The next morning came with no further incidents. Dawn got up and ready for school. Spike had gone down to her room and came back with an outfit for her to wear. She liked the one he chose. She gladly put it on while he worked on cleaning up her room. Of course that task would take him all day.  
  
He didn't mind though. She had slept only fitfully all night after he brought her out of that mess and mayhem. He couldn't leave her side for even a moment but what she woke up. She was so shook up by the whole demon thing last night that he almost kept her home for the day. It was better though that she went to school so she wouldn't see him carrying what was left of the demon's body out of the bedroom.  
  
"Angel, Dawn was attacked last night." Spike figured he was safer calling Angel first. Besides, the poof might actually know what the demon that attacked Dawn was.  
  
"By what, Spike?"  
  
"I don't know. Thought maybe you would." He described the thing to him and Angel was silent for a moment.  
  
"It was a Losharin Demon. They aren't easy to kill."  
  
"Well, the bit made quick work of him. She made his head explode. Just by thinking about it. Made a bit of a mess too."  
  
"She made his head explode?"  
  
"Yeah. Even though it knocked her for a loop. She passed out from the effort. It even gave her a nosebleed. I don't think that she was quite ready for that much force to go through her."  
  
"Is she ok now?"  
  
"She's still really shook up but I think she'll be fine." Spike took a deep breath. "I won't be leaving her side much for the next few days. Except when she's at school."  
  
"Is she there now?"  
  
"Yes. Why? What's wrong, Angel?"  
  
"I'll have to go get her. It seems that she's stirred up a hornet's nest with her little experiments. Losharin demons never attack alone and they have no qualms with attacking in broad daylight. She's in danger at school."  
  
"Take Buffy along. If Bit decides to do another head explosion, you'll need someone to watch your back while you carry her out of there."  
  
"No wonder you and I made such a good team in the old days. We sometimes think alike." Angel hung up the phone and called Buffy to warn her as to what was going on. She told him to meet her at Willow's. She would be home all day and would agree to watch Tirri.  
  
Buffy walked into the school office and made the request that Dawn be brought to the office and allowed to go home early. She used the family emergency excuse. It may have been an old stand by but it worked. They never questioned it.  
  
They called Dawn's classroom and got a surprise. Something was there. It was ugly and apparently after Dawn. Angel and Buffy ran for the classroom. When they got there, they looked through the window in the door and saw four Losharin demons encircling Dawn. Buffy didn't even think; she just charged through the door and attacked the one nearest the door. Another one swatted at one of the kids sitting near Dawn, knocking her out of the way.  
  
Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light and Angel, Dawn, Buffy and the demons weren't in the classroom anymore. They were in the gym where there were no other students and they had plenty of room to fight.  
  
Before they knew it, there were a dozen demons and Buffy and Angel got down to some serious slayage. Dawn backed into a corner and was content just holding them off. She knew that to kill them would mean weakening herself and right now Buffy and Angel couldn't slay the demons and protect her at the same time.  
  
Four demons were closing on her. She was just shooting each one with small lightning bolts. Each one was taking a little damage at a time. She knew that to kill one she would have to focus all of her energy on that one and that would leave her vulnerable to the others. For just a moment, she wished Spike were there.  
  
One of the demons went flying through the air as a blond streak flew through the air and slammed into it. Spike was there. He landed on his feet and flashed a rakish smile her way. "I've wanted to try that ever since I saw the first Tarzan movie." He turned and sliced off a demon's head as it charged him. He flashed back to Dawn. "I just never could get the yell just right." He smiled at Dawn and then rushed to meet one of the demons head on.  
  
With a flash of white light, another demon made his appearance. All the other demons seemed to be in awe of him and even Angel was rather stunned which allowed one of the demons to attack him and knock him across the room.  
  
The demons surrounding Dawn made way for this new demon as he approached. "You are very powerful. You will make a good queen." The thought ran through Dawn's mind and terrified her.  
  
"SPIKE!!!" she screamed. Spike finished off the demon he was fighting and turned to see this new demon advancing on his Dawn. He sprinted across the room before Buffy could react from where she was trying to revive Angel.  
  
The demon touched Dawn's shoulder, the one where Spike had marked her. "You are tainted!" This thought rocked Dawn with its intensity. The anger and revulsion that accompanied it were almost nauseating. She collapsed back against the wall.  
  
The demon spun on Spike. "I will kill him! Then I will kill you and all who protect you!"  
  
Dawn knew at that moment what she had to do. She had to protect Spike in order to protect the rest of the gang. She gathered her thoughts and stood up straight. She had an idea but she didn't know if it would work. She summoned all of the power she could into her. She touched the demon next to her and felt its power drain into her. She turned to the next one and the one after that.  
  
Draining three demons had more power flowing through Dawn than she had ever felt before. She thrust her hands out toward the demon and with it every ounce of power and emotion that she could muster. The demon exploded as did all of the others in the gym. She felt herself falling and then everything went black.  
  
Buffy watched as Angel flew across the room and hit the wall. He slumped to the floor unconscious. *God, no!* The thought voiced what the voice could not. Then, as she knelt beside her husband on the floor, she heard Dawn's scream. She turned to go to her but Spike was already there. The next thing Buffy knew, all of the demons had exploded and Dawn was falling in slow motion to the floor. Spike caught her and carried her over to where Buffy and Angel were.  
  
"Spike, is she alive?"  
  
He touched her throat. "Yeah." He couldn't say anymore. The lump in his throat wouldn't allow for any real speech. His tears started falling and he just pulled Dawn closer as they streamed down his cheeks.  
  
Buffy stared in shock as the vampire who had always been the tough guy around her melted away to be replaced by this tender, caring creature who obviously was relieved that Dawn was still alive. She turned back to Angel, somewhat embarrassed by Spike's show of affection for her sister. She brushed Angel's face and touched his neck. The pulse was strong. He was only unconscious. Buffy started crying with relief. They had taken a beating but none of them had died this time. She bowed her head and sobbed into her hands.  
  
After a few minutes, she felt two strong arms grasp her hands and pull them away from her face. "Buffy?"  
  
Angel's eyes met hers as she looked up at the voice of the man she would give her life for. She collapsed into Angel's arms sobbing uncontrollably. Angel looked at Spike who was still sobbing into Dawn's shoulder. "Spike?" Spike looked up at Angel.  
  
"She was protecting all of us. She destroyed them all. She's so weak now. We need to get her home." He wanted to get her away from this carnage. All this mess would scare her. *If she ever opened her eyes again.* He shook his head to clear that image from his mind.  
  
Angel stood up. "How did you get here, Spike?"  
  
"I don't know. I was at the house and then I was here. She must've brought me here." He looked down at the pale weakened form in his arms. How was he going to get home?  
  
"Buffy, I'm going to go bring the car around to the back of the school and open the trunk. When I do, Spike will get in the trunk and Buffy will put Dawn in the back seat." He wrapped his arms around Buffy. "We'll take them home. Then, we'll get the gang together and figure out what to do about all this."  
  
Angel and Buffy rode in silence all the way back to the house. Once they were inside the garage, Spike got out and took Dawn from Buffy. He carried her up to her room and tucked her into bed. In determined silence, he went and got a cool damp washcloth and again started wiping her face. "Come back to me, pet. Just like last night. Come on, Dawn. Come on, baby. Open your eyes. Look at me." He started crying again. "Bloody hell! You idiot mob! Why? You remember what it did last night and that was nothing compared to what you did today. Don't do this to me again, Dawn! Please! I can't handle this! Not again!"  
  
Buffy stood outside Dawn's closed bedroom door listening to Spike pleading with Dawn to wake up and look at him. Angel walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let's leave them alone." They walked downstairs and turned on the T. V.  
  
"Spike?" Dawn's voice was little more than a whisper but it echoed in Spike's ears. He lifted his head from the side of the bed where he had basically cried himself to sleep.  
  
"Dawn!" He looked at her with tears in his eyes all over again. "How do you feel, pet?"  
  
"Sore. Tired. Weak."  
  
"After the show you put on, I'm not surprised. The whole gang's downstairs. They've been waiting for you to wake up and be ok. I wouldn't let anyone but Buffy and Angel in here."  
  
She chuckled a little at that and then groaned. "How long have I been out?"  
  
"About fourteen hours. I was afraid I was going to lose you."  
  
"Lose me? You couldn't do that if you tried."  
  
"Bit, if you ever pull anything like that again . . . ."  
  
"Not to worry. I'll warn you first. It was just the thoughts that that thing was sending out to me . . . ."  
  
"Thoughts?"  
  
"It wanted to make me it's queen. Then it was repulsed when it realized that you had marked me. It said that I was tainted. It wanted to kill you because of that. I had to protect you."  
  
"Baby, it's not your job to protect me."  
  
"I don't want to live without you."  
  
"Dawn, . . . ." His voice broke and he just swept her into his arms and held her tight.  
  
"Breath. Breath would be nice here."  
  
"Sorry. I just needed to do that. I needed to feel your heartbeat again." He seemed much relieved. "Can you walk? The others will want to see that you're ok."  
  
She threw back the covers only to realize that she was in a nightgown. "Did you . . . ?"  
  
"No, luv. Buffy did it on one of her many trips to check on you." Dawn swung her feet over the side of the bed and tried to pull herself off the bed. She swayed as her head spun and a wave of dizziness swept over her. She reached out her hand for Spike's help. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her up until the dizziness passed. Then, he lifted her gently into his arms and carried her downstairs.  
  
"Dawn! You're awake!" Buffy was the first to run to her. Everyone else took their turn coming up to her.  
  
"Why are you carrying her, Spike?"  
  
"She's still weak and almost passed out on me upstairs. I figured that I should at least bring her down here. She's conscious. She's alive. She needs more rest though."  
  
"Go ahead and take her back upstairs. Let her rest."  
  
"Of course. I'll keep an eye on her to make sure that she's still ok." Spike turned around and started back up the stairs to tuck his precious Dawn back into bed.  
  
Two days later, Dawn was finally back at full strength. She was finally up to going back to school and there had been no further demon visits. She was nervous though.  
  
She walked into school and felt, rather than heard, the whispers around her. She tried to ignore it and go on with her day but it continued and she could only ignore so much. It all broke when Kirstie walked up to Dawn and said, "So, freak, you and your freak friends made quite the mess of the gym. Slime and guts everywhere. And then you take two days off of school while the rest of us tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Jessica won't even talk to anyone anymore. She has this huge bruise on her face from where that thing hit her. I don't even know what those things were."  
  
"Shut up, Kirstie. You don't know anything. Just back off." Dawn spun and tried to walk away. Kirstie ran up to her and shoved her to the floor. Dawn jumped up and shoved Kirstie. Kirstie flew backwards and landed against the wall. Dawn walked over to her and bent over. "If you touch me again, I'll break you in half. That's not a threat. It's a promise. Don't forget that."  
  
Then, Dawn ran from the school and home before anyone could react.  
  
He heard the door slam and feet running up the stairs. He figured it could only be Dawn. She seemed to be early. He rolled over and looked at the clock. She was early. It wasn't even noon yet. He had to check on her. Something was obviously wrong.  
  
He ran up from the basement and upstairs to her room. She had thrown herself on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "I HATE THAT BITCH!"  
  
"Who, luv?"  
  
"Kirstie. She called me a freak and told me that I made a big mess of things. She knocked me down. I think I may have hurt her. I shoved her back and she landed against a wall. She landed hard too. Spike, I may have broken her back." She sat up on the bed. Spike sat down next to her. "Oh God! I may have broken her back."  
  
"No, sweetheart. I doubt that. I doubt that you could have done that unless you truly focused your power on her." He patted her back and rocked her quietly. "Just rest, pet. Everything will be all right." He laid her down on the bed and sat down beside her. He pulled the covers up over her still shaking form. He kissed her on the forehead. "It's ok. I'll take care of you. You know that."  
  
"I know. After all, if you didn't want to, you wouldn't have marked me." She was starting to wind down from the adrenalin rush of defending herself against Kirstie. She was yawning and had her eyes closed. She was asleep five minutes later.  
  
He went downstairs and picked up the phone. He called the school to see if a report had been filed. He was informed that there had been a report filed but that Dawn was obviously not at fault. Everyone questioned had said that Kirstie started the whole incident. Kirstie was suspended for at least two weeks and possibly longer. It depended on the response they received when they held the readmittance interview. Dawn was not suspended but it would be prudent to keep her home for a few more days. Spike wasn't too worried about that.  
  
"Now, Buffy, focus. You need to sharpen your focus. Concentrate all of your being into one comforting thought and stretch it out toward Tirri. Try to comfort your daughter just with your thoughts." Giles was really pushing Buffy today. She was sitting in a hard chair and focusing all of her thoughts on what she was supposed to do.  
  
She thought about her daughter and comforting her. She watched as Tirri calmed down. Then, gurgling happily, she fell asleep just as if she were laying in her mother's arms.  
  
"Good job. Very good job." Buffy relaxed just a little bit. "You did well. That was the first time you've done that but you performed as if you've done it before."  
  
"Giles, I have a headache. Can I rest for a moment?" Buffy seemed a little worn out. She put her hands to her temples and bowed her head. Giles knelt in front of her.  
  
"Are you all right, Buffy?"  
  
"I think it's just the exercises." But she felt a small twitch at the base of her skull. This could be more than that. She just didn't want to think about that.  
  
"By all means. Go lay down." She stood up to go to the bedroom and almost fell back to the couch.  
  
"I think I'll just stay right here." She stretched out on the couch and was asleep almost immediately. Giles covered her with a blanket and sat down to watch over Tirri until either Buffy woke up or Angel came home.  
  
"Buffy?" It was Angel's voice that called her back from the land of dreams. She stirred and turned to his voice. She opened her eyes to look into the deep chocolate of her husband's eyes. "Giles told me you had gotten a headache from the exercises. I thought I'd better check on you. Besides, I brought supper home tonight." At her puzzled look, he explained. "Pizza!" His face lit up with a big smile. She sleepily smiled back at him.  
  
Sitting up, she still felt a little groggy. "I think I'll be going to bed early tonight. I still have a ghost of a headache."  
  
Angel helped her up and walked with her to the table. Once they sat down and started eating, Buffy started to feel a little better. Maybe her headache was caused by the fact that she hadn't eaten anything yet that day. Of course, she wasn't about to tell Angel that. He would have a fit. He would scold her for not eating.  
  
She ate until she was full and then realized that she had eaten almost twice as much as Angel had. "You haven't eaten at all today, have you?"  
  
"I guess I just forgot. I got wrapped up in the new exercises Giles had for me. I just forgot."  
  
"I don't know how you can forget to eat. You never forget to take care of Tirri or to feed me."  
  
"And yet you love me anyway." He leaned over and kissed Buffy's nose. "I love you too."  
  
"Of course I love you. That's why I try to take care of you." He walked around behind her and slid his arms down over her chest. "I don't want to lose you. I need you."  
  
"I know, Angel. I need you too. Sometimes, I just find myself wishing that I wasn't the longest living Slayer in history. I just want us to have a normal life. I hate patrol sometimes and I hate the creatures that make us have to do this. I hate the prophecies that made me the Slayer. The only part about being the Slayer that I don't hate is that it brought me you. You and Tirri are the only good things that really came out of me being the Slayer."  
  
"What about your friends? Willow? Xander? All the rest? Giles, who's more like a father to you than your own father?"  
  
"They're fine. But you and our daughter are the best of what has come out of being a Slayer." She leaned back against him. "I just don't want to do this anymore. I want to walk away and let someone else do it."  
  
"But that's not an option."  
  
"Why not? There are two Slayers now. Faith can take over. At least she can when she gets out of jail next month."  
  
"But you are the 'twice dead Slayer'. All the prophecies point to you being the last Slayer. Faith will die before you die for good. And all prophecies point to you dying at a very old age surrounded by people who love you."  
  
"I'm just tired of having to help everyone else and leaving my needs and wants to last. I want to think of me and my family first for a change. I want to be selfish just once or twice."  
  
"You're just tired. Maybe after a good night's sleep you'll feel more like yourself." He stepped back as she got up to go check on Tirri.  
  
"I don't know. I just don't know anymore."  
  
She made sure that Tirri was ok. Then she went into the bathroom and took her shower. She stood under the shower for a few minutes. Angel walked in and stripped down to join her in the shower. He didn't even try anything sexual. He just washed her hair and body making her feel pampered. She just stood there and let him do what he wanted with her. When he was done, he washed up quickly and then they got out. He dried both of them off and walked her in to bed. He tucked her in and then lay down beside her. She snuggled close to him.  
  
It wasn't until morning that he realized that she had quietly cried herself to sleep. He left her sleeping soundly on the bed and took Tirri over to Dawn's house to spend some time with her Uncle Spike. He was more than happy to look after Tirri while Angel was at work so that Buffy could rest.  
  
"Buffy, are you awake?" Angel whispered, opening the door to their bedroom just enough to see the bed. Buffy wasn't there. He did hear the shower in their bathroom running though. He walked into the room and headed for the bathroom when he heard the water turn off.  
  
He smiled and stripped off his clothes and opened the bathroom door. Buffy felt his arms wrap around her and suddenly decided that she needed another shower.  
  
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A/N: I can't finish this scene the way I want to because of the no more NC- 17 ruling but I'm sure you all get the picture.  
  
Working on next chapter now. It's coming along a little slower than most of them but it's working out.  
  
Thanks for all the reviews. 


	5. Chapter 5: The Return of an Old Enemy

Buffy and Willow were sitting at the Espresso Pump. Just like old times.  
  
"Buffy, do you remember when we told you about the time Giles was singing here?"  
  
"Yes. I wish I could have seen it. It had to have been kind of weird but kinda cool at the same time."  
  
"I thought it was kind of sexy. So did Tara and Anya. Poor Xander just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. He thought that it was disgusting, the way we were going on about Giles." Willow couldn't help but laugh out loud at the look Xander had worn on his face.  
  
"I can't believe that it seems so long ago. It seems like a hundred years ago. Why does time pass so quickly?"  
  
"I wish I knew. Sometimes, it just seems like I just met Oz. Other times, it seems like so long ago that he left me and I got together with Tara. The kids are just making it seem like the time has sped up considerably."  
  
Buffy looked at her watch. "Wow. Look at the time. I promised to meet Xander and Anya at their place. Sorry, Will. Gotta split."  
  
"No problem. I got to get back to work." The two young women got up to leave. "I'll see you later, Buffy."  
  
"Ok. You too, Will."  
  
"Xander, I just found out that you've been in touch with Angel ever since he left Sunnydale. What all did you tell him?"  
  
"I didn't tell him about Parker, the little incident at Lowell House, Dracula, or cave-Slayer." Xander was certain that Buffy was kind of angry about all this. After all, this wasn't the first time that he had hidden something from her. He flashed back to when he had neglected to tell her that Willow was going to try the spell to restore Angel's soul again. She had been so mad at him that he thought she was going to kill him when she came back to Sunnydale. They had worked through that though.  
  
"What made you stay in touch with him anyway? I thought you hated Angel."  
  
"Well, while we were laying out battle strategies for graduation day, he and I got to talking and he told me that he wanted to leave a way for you to get in touch with him if necessary. I told him I would hold on to his cell phone number and if you needed it I would give it to you. I also promised him that I would keep an eye on you and update him regularly on what was going on here. There were a few things that I didn't tell him though. Didn't feel like having him breathing down my neck for not protecting you for him." Xander thought for a moment. "He's not so bad anymore. And I haven't hated him for a long time. We kinda got close back around the time Riley took off."  
  
"So he knew about Glory and Dawn?"  
  
"Yeah. He decided that the best thing he could do at the time was to stay in LA. Then, Cordy got sucked into this other dimension and he had to rescue her and . . ." He paused when he saw the confusion cross Buffy's face. ". . . I'm guessing he told you nothing about all of that."  
  
"Not one word. I guess we both kept our secrets."  
  
"I guess. Speaking of Dracula, we haven't seen anything of him since you 'Eurotrashed' him. Do you think he left town?"  
  
"I doubt it. He seemed quite happy here."  
  
"I saw him last night. He seemed to be following Spike and Dawn on patrol." Anya's voice reminded her husband and Buffy that she was still in the room. "I was coming back from the store."  
  
"Great! Just what we need. Dracula going after Dawn and Spike having to go after him."  
  
"I thought you hated Spike too." Buffy was puzzled. She had heard about Spike and Xander's moment while she was catatonic but she wasn't sure that wasn't just the stress of the moment.  
  
"I don't trust him. Especially not after . . . "  
  
"Don't bring that up again. I forgave you for the same thing. I didn't hold a grudge against you then. You can't hold a grudge against him now. He may have tried but he didn't succeed any more than you did."  
  
"Besides," came a voice from the door. "I trust him. That should be enough for you guys." Buffy and Xander turned to see Dawn in the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and a look on her face that told both of them that the subject needed to be dropped right now. It wasn't up for discussion.  
  
"Of course it is, Dawnie. I just worry about you." Xander was trying to keep things smooth with Dawn. She was just like a little sister to him. Just like the one he had lost twelve years earlier to vampires. Of course, back then, he didn't know exactly what it was that went bump in the night. There were still times that he missed that Xander, so innocent and carefree.  
  
"Why? Because I'm following in my big sister's footsteps? Being in love with a vampire?"  
  
"No. Because you remind me of a little sister I had about twelve years ago. She was killed by vamps. She would have been about your age now."  
  
Dawn's eyes had gotten big and she looked around as if expecting to get yelled at. "Xander, I - I'm sorry. I didn't know." That stammer was back. She really thought he was mad at her.  
  
"Dawnie, don't. I'm not mad at you. I just worry about you. You may think that we're overprotective at times but it's only because we love you and don't want to lose you." While he was talking, Xander had walked over to her and pulled her into a brotherly hug. She buried her face in his chest.  
  
The rumble coming from the blond at the door is what finally broke the hug. "It's ok, Spike. Xander was just proving that he wasn't mad at me for jumping to conclusions." She turned around and walked to the vampire who had followed her. She wrapped an arm around his waist and the growl stopped immediately. Spike's arm went around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Spike." Buffy's short acknowledgment was Spike's first clue that something was up.  
  
"What's wrong, Buffy?"  
  
"Dracula's still hanging around. He was following you and Dawn on patrol last night."  
  
"Anya, honey. I think Buffy was about to tell them about it."  
  
"But I saw him. I thought I should be the one to tell him." She looked back at Spike and Dawn. "He looked like he was going to try for her."  
  
"I'll personally take his head off if he tries it." Spike's arm tightened almost imperceptibly around her shoulders.  
  
"Watch out for her. Dawn, until we take him out of the game permanently, I don't want you outside after dark alone. Always take Spike, Angel or I with you."  
  
"Ok, Buffy." Dawn remembered the stories about the time Buffy had faced Dracula. Even the Slayer couldn't resist the charms of Dracula and he had bitten her once.  
  
"I almost hope I meet up with him. I have in mind some serious payback for the time he turned me into a bug-eating man-bitch." The venom in Xander's tone surprised Dawn. Sure, she had heard about Xander's brief time as the toadie of the Dark Prince.  
  
Buffy was also surprised. She knew that Xander was no push over but she didn't realize that vengence was something that he thought about.  
  
It appeared that things were about to change in Sunnydale. And not necessarily for the better.  
  
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A/N: I know. It took forever. I just hit a wall and couldn't figure out where to take it for a while. But there you go. Thanks for all the reviews. 


	6. Chapter 6: Out for the Count

A/N: I know it's been forever since I added anything to this one. I'm sorry. The muse decided to play hide and seek from me for a while.  
  
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Spike and Angel had been talking. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem but the thing was they had been talking about Dracula. Spike had told Angel that Drac had held Buffy under his thrall for a while. Even to the point of biting her.  
  
They both decided that they needed to end any and all threat to their women. Once and for all. Dracula must be eliminated.  
  
"We have to be careful. If Buffy and Dawn find out what we're up to, . . . " Angel just nodded because he understood what Spike meant. The Summers women would not appreciate the danger the guys were putting themselves in just to protect them.  
  
"Spike, do you know where Dracula lives?"  
  
"Sure do, mate. That old castle just on the outskirts of town. He bought it and that's where he lives now."  
  
"Good. In three days, we'll take him out. Make sure we have a couple of good, sharp axes. We'll have to take his head off and then burn the body. I don't want to chance him coming after either one of them."  
  
"Right. I've been looking for a good spot of violence lately. Things have been a bit boring lately."  
  
Angel and Spike parted ways only after agreeing to meet in three days to take care of the perpetual threat to their women.  
  
Three days later, Willow, Buffy and Dawn went on one of their famous weekend trips to L.A. for shopping. Angel and Spike met up with Xander in front of the old castle just after sunset. Xander had surprised the two by asking if he could come along. He still wanted his piece of vengeance after all these years.  
  
"I still want a piece of the guy that turned me into a bug-eating man bitch. After all these years, I still want my piece of him. He made me betray Buffy. No one gets away with that."  
  
"You're in. Meet us at the castle at sunset. We'll finish this right away."  
  
The three of them walked into the castle. Angel and Spike each had an axe over their shoulder and Xander was carrying a torch and gas can. They each had a look of sheer determination on his face.  
  
They met Dracula in the main dining hall of the castle. "You have stalked the Summers family for the last time, Count."  
  
"And turned your last man-bitch," hissed Xander.  
  
"The Loyal. How nice of you to come. Even though you know that you can't fight me." He turned to look at Spike and Angel. "The Dark Warrior of the Light and the Key Master. How does it feel to know that one of your daughters will die while the oldest will bring hell to earth?"  
  
"What?" Angel was stunned. He had figured out long ago that Tirri was going to be called to be a Slayer. But she was his oldest. And why did he call Spike the Key Master? Dawn wasn't the Key anymore, was she?  
  
Dracula laughed. "You have no idea what I mean, do you, Angelus? Your oldest daughter is the one you call Dawn. The Powers That Be really did find away around your nobility. They made sure that your daughter and son came to be after all. The Slayer was pregnant when you took back the day. That took back your children. The Powers needed your twins in order to bring about the End of Days." Angel looked crushed. Buffy had been pregnant. Why hadn't he picked up on that when he held her afterward? He was just too wrapped up in holding the woman he loved close to him for the first time in so long. He was secure in the knowledge that Buffy still loved him.  
  
Her reaction when he had come to Sunnydale faced down Riley had told her that he still held her heart. That nothing Riley did ever made her feel the way he had made her feel. She still loved him. More than anyone.  
  
He attacked. He hated Dracula for figuring out what he should have known a long time ago.  
  
The Count bared his fangs and the battle started. Spike was furious. The Count was implying something that he didn't like. Dawn would be in danger and that was something he didn't like. He knew that Dawn was a powerful young lady but he still worried about her. That was what love was about. You worried about the other person. Like they worried about you.  
  
Spike and Angel attacked for the ones they loved. Xander just stayed back, his whole idea being to keep Dracula in this one room. The torch was lit and ready to burn.  
  
Before any of the three of them knew what was going on, Angel's axe struck true. Drac's head flew from his body and Xander stepped forward to burn the body. "Goodbye, moron."  
  
The body went up in flames and then Xander used the gas can to smash Dracula's head into a sticky paste. "That's over." Xander took a deep breath.  
  
"Kind of a let down, mate. It was almost too easy. Like he knew that he was supposed to die now." Spike turned to Angel. "What did he mean about Dawn? That she was your daughter?"  
  
"The day that never was. When I took back the day that I was human years ago, Buffy was pregnant. I knew there was something different about her. I didn't even think about it. She was pregnant with my twins and I took that back." Angel hung his head. "I should have known. I should have thought about that before she and I spent the day together. We both lost our heads, I guess."  
  
"How are you going to tell Buffy?" Xander brought up a point. One that Angel didn't want to think of. How WOULD he tell Buffy that he had taken away the twins that she was pregnant with? Better question, how would he tell her so that she wouldn't want to kill him or hurt herself for allowing it to happen?  
  
The guys left the castle, all wondering how Buffy and Dawn were going to take the news. Telling Buffy and Dawn that they weren't sisters but mother and daughter would not be easy. It was something though that had to be done.  
  
"Buffy. Dawn. Spike and I need to talk to you about something." Angel decided he would broach the subject. Spike decided to let him because he knew that this was not going to go well.  
  
"What is it, Angel?" Buffy was suspicious. Angel normally didn't open a conversation like this. He normally just said what was on his mind.  
  
"Well, . . . "  
  
"Angel, drop the cryptic. We don't keep secrets." Buffy was getting upset.  
  
"Dawn isn't your sister. She's your . . . OUR daughter. When you came to see me in L.A. after the time I was here at Thanksgiving, you were . . ."  
  
"I was there all day. You were turned human by the Mohra demon. We spent the whole day making love. You took back the day because you didn't think you could protect me." When she saw the look on Angel's face, she continued. "When I was in heaven, they showed me moments from my life. That was one of them. They told me I didn't remember it but that was something that had happened. Then they told me that you would have reverted to the vampirism after a while. It was a temporary gift. It was meant to bring about part of a prophecy."  
  
"You remember?"  
  
Angel had tears in his eyes because he didn't want her to remember the fact that he gave up humanity for her. "How could I not know?"  
  
"You mean that was all just temporary? I would have gone back to normal later?"  
  
"That's what the Powers told me. That you would eventually -- what's the word --- revert to your vampire state. They said that we were missing something that would come to us in time. That they had to fix things and that was why everything had to happen the way it did." Buffy was crying openly, remembering the pain that she had felt when the Powers had showed her the scenes from her life.  
  
She walked into Angel's arms and he just held her for several long minutes, tears flowing from his own eyes. Spike walked over to Dawn and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her tremble against him and realized that she had finally realized what they were talking about.  
  
Dawn stood still in Spike's arms for a few moments before pulling away and walking over to Buffy. "Does that mean you're my mom?"  
  
"I guess so." Buffy's tear-streaked face held a happiness that she hadn't seen in a while. She had found a child she never realized that she had. A child that she would have been able to show her mother if it hadn't been for Angel's nobility. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her into an embrace with her and Angel. The Powers That Be gave her her daughter back. Without reservation. They had been given another chance.  
  
"Angel, how did you find out about this?"  
  
Angel turned away from them and bowed his head. "I found out from Dracula. Just before I took his head off."  
  
"You went after Dracula?!"  
  
"Spike and Xander went with me."  
  
"And that's your excuse? What would have happened if you had been killed? Or Spike? Or Xander? Do you think that would have been any easier on any of us? Were you guys even thinking?!" Buffy was going hyper. She was furious. Angel had put himself in a lot of danger. He hadn't even thought to tell her. She was mad because he could have left her without a husband and Tirri without a daughter.  
  
"Buffy, I know what you're thinking. This is exactly why I didn't tell you. You don't know how many times I thought about what would happen to you if I wasn't there. What would happen to Tirri? How would you deal?"  
  
"Angel, I love you. We talk. We don't keep secrets. You promised me on our wedding day. No more secrets." She gave him that look that he always fell for the one that begged him to make it all okay.  
  
"I promise. This one was just for your protection. Besides you were going shopping with the girls in L.A. You weren't here to talk to about this."  
  
Angel stepped back up to Buffy and wrapped her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. Once again, all was forgiven. They were all safe and alive.  
  
Spike wrapped his arms around Dawn and they walked out the door, leaving Buffy and Angel to talk some more.  
  
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A/N: There you go everyone. A little taste more. Hopefully the next chapter will come a little quicker than this one. 


	7. Chapter 7: Memories of a Dancing Queen

"Daddy?" Dawn was still trying to get used to calling Angel that. Calling Buffy 'Mom' was a little easier but still kind of weird.  
  
"Yes, Dawnie?"  
  
"I've been thinking about my eighteenth birthday party. I want to have a roller skating party. Like the ones they used to have in 1970's New York and all. The disco music, the whole nine yards." She paused for a moment. Angel looked up from the newspaper he was reading.  
  
"You've been doing your homework. But I don't understand."  
  
"I want to do this for Spike."  
  
"He told you about Karia." It was a statement. He knew the story. He had been living in New York when it happened. He knew the story and he realized how much Dawn meant to Spike for him to tell her about that time in his life. He also knew that Spike had never let go of the memory of Karia. That was why he was always so careful around Dru. He didn't want that to happen to anyone else.  
  
"He's been having nightmares lately and if I could help him get over this, . . ."  
  
"I know, honey. I think it's a great idea." He folded the paper and set it down. "How about you come over tomorrow while he's sleeping and we'll talk about it. Don't tell him anything except that he has to be there. He'll be surprised and maybe, then, he'll get over the memory. Especially when he realizes that you won't be leaving him. You are the most precious thing in his life. Have been for a long time now. It's because of you that he doesn't kill anymore, even though the chip doesn't work anymore."  
  
"Dad, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. I just didn't want to do it around Mom."  
  
"What is it, Dawn?"  
  
In response, Dawn simply moved the collar of her shirt down her shoulder and showed Angel the mark that Spike had left. Angel got up and walked around the table to look at it a little closer. "He marked you?"  
  
She nodded. "I wanted it. I didn't realize it when he did it the first time. When he explained it to me though, I was glad he did it. He apologized the first time when he realized that I was scared."  
  
"He's bitten you more than once?"  
  
"I sometimes let him drink from me. Just a little. He doesn't like to but sometimes he has to." She knew that Angel was getting mad. She needed to calm him down quick. "When we forget to get more blood, sometimes I cut myself and make him drink. The first time I did that was right after I was so sick. Back when I was first learning about my powers. He yelled at me for it. That's why I ran off. Mom doesn't know about the times I've let him bite me." Her tears started falling. "Daddy, please don't be mad at me. I love him and I just couldn't take it if I had to lose him."  
  
Angel wrapped his arms around the trembling girl. "I'm not mad, sweetheart. I just want to make sure that you understand what this all means. I worry about you, Dawn. I always have. Ever since the monks gave you form and sent you here to Sunnydale." He smiled. "The Powers That Be never allowed the memories to take hold in my head. Just my heart. I know everything that you and Buffy have been through since then. They don't let me forget any of it."  
  
She pulled away from him. "Then, we don't tell Mom. Right?"  
  
"Right. She would go all 'wiggy', as she puts it." He shook his head. "I will never get used to the way your mother talks."  
  
"It's ok. As long as you don't go all cryptic on us again." She started to chuckle. "Mom might get really upset about that. In fact, . . ."  
  
"I might have to thoroughly kick every inch of his ass," Buffy laughed from the door. She crossed the room and joined the group hug. "So what are you two conspiring about now?"  
  
"Dawnie's eighteenth birthday party. She wants a roller party. Disco music and all."  
  
"I think we can do that. As long as she doesn't expect me up on skates."  
  
"She might not but I do. At least for one song." Angel and Buffy stepped away from Dawn locked into each other's eyes.  
  
"I'm leaving now. Since it looks like you two want some smoochies." Dawn slipped out the door before her words even registered in her parents' minds.  
  
"Spike, you are coming to my party aren't you?"  
  
"Sweetheart, that party is for you and your friends."  
  
"You have to come. Otherwise, I won't go either."  
  
"Pet, you have to go. It's your party." He could tell that she was going to be stubborn about this. "Don't be so silly."  
  
"I get my stubborn streak from my mother and you know how stubborn she can be. You have to be there. I can't have any fun if you're not there." She started pouting.  
  
"Now, pet."  
  
"You have to come to my party. Everyone's going to be there. Cordy and Wes are even coming down from L.A."  
  
'Ok. How can I argue with that?" Spike laughed and wrapped his arms around the girl that he loved so desperately. He had already figured out what to get her for her birthday. She was going to be so surprised. Possibly even angry with him that he hadn't given it to her sooner and that he had spent so much money on her.  
  
Four days later, all the arrangements were made and the party was only two days away. Dawn had it all planned. When Spike got into the shower, she would take his clothes and leave the set she had found for him. It was the same clothes he had worn in the picture with Karia. She knew he would fight her on this. That was why no one had told him what kind of party this was. He never would have shown up.  
  
"So, my William has a new dancing queen does he?" The singsong voice coming from the dark terrified the fledgling standing in front of the mad vampire. "I'll just have to go to the party and take care of that. I took her away from him once, I can do it again." She stepped forward and ripped off the fledgling's head before he even knew what was happening. "Boys, time to visit Sunnydale."  
  
"Spike, hurry up. Dawn's already there. You want to make her mad on her special day?" Xander and Angel were waiting for the souled vampire at the foot of the stairs. They were both just waiting to hear him raise a fuss when he saw what he had to wear.  
  
"Bloody hell!!!! What is this?"  
  
"Just put it on and let's go! I want to be there when they bring in the cake!" Xander yelled up the stairs. He had all he could do to keep from laughing.  
  
"Xander, cool it. He's going to have a hard time tonight. Our sources have told me that Drucilla might even be coming in to Sunnydale soon. I just hope it's not tonight. That might ruin everything."  
  
"Or it might solve the whole problem." At Angel's puzzled look, Xander explained his thought. "Dawn's doing this to get him over the memory of the girl that Drusilla killed. If Dawn ends up in danger and he saves her, it's as if he were saving the girl that was taken from him all those years ago."  
  
"I see what you mean. I just hope he hurries. Dawn is going to be furious because we're late as it is."  
  
Just then, Spike came walking down the stairs looking for all the world like he had just stepped from the pages of a history book. The look on his face stated that he would love to know who he should kill for this one.  
  
"This was all Dawn's idea. She wanted to do this for you but she knew that you'd fight her."  
  
"Bloody right I would have!"  
  
"Spike, do you know how often I've had to comfort Dawn on the ride to school because she was crying? She would hear you cry out in your sleep. Your nightmares were hurting her. She thought that maybe this way you could get over this and go back to being the person she loves."  
  
"I've been hurting the bit?" Spike hung his head in shame. He hated that thought. He felt guilty anytime Dawn had made him bite her for some special nourishment.  
  
"We know that you don't mean to. She knows you don't mean to. She just doesn't know what else to do. She wants you to get past this and be hers again. She told us the other day that she regrets bringing the whole thing up to you. She says that's when this whole thing started."  
  
"Alright. I'll go. I hope this works though because I bloody well don't like hurting the bit."  
  
The three men left the house to celebrate Dawn's eighteenth birthday.  
  
When they arrived at the rink, the party was already in full swing. Spike easily found Dawn. She was dressed just like Karia had been most nights. The brightly colored top and tight short shorts were going to drive him to distraction all night. She was skating circles around the kids on the floor.  
  
She skated up to the edge of the floor where he was standing. "I love it."  
  
"Only for you, pet." He kissed the tip of her nose. Then, noticing that Kirstie was watching, he tipped her head up and kissed her on the lips. "You are mine," he whispered, sending a chill up her spine. She shivered visibly and he chuckled. The sound brought a smile to her lips.  
  
"There you are. I was wondering where you had gone." She chuckled. Suddenly, she looked up. "I'll be back in a bit. I have to take care of something. A couple of songs, then we do the presents." With that, she skated off.  
  
Suddenly, everyone heard the announcer. "Everyone clear the floor. The birthday girl wants to show you all how it was done in the 70's." When everyone had skated to the edge of the floor, Dawn took center stage. 'Dancing Queen' started and Dawn started dancing.  
  
When the song came to the point of mentioning her chosing a king, she grabbed Spike's hand and dragged him out on the floor. What she didn't know was that Spike had a question to ask her after the song was over and before the next one began.  
  
The song ended and Spike was on one knee in front of Dawn. He pulled the little black box out of his pocket. Dawn was wondering what he was up to. He opened the box and showed her the diamond ring inside. "Dawn, will you marry me? Be my dancing queen forever?"  
  
"Spike . . . I . . . I don't know what to say." The tears in her eyes were tears of more than joy. "Of course. I could never say no to you."  
  
He put the ring on her finger and stood up. They wrapped their arms around each other and held each other tight.  
  
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A/N: I know. I suck leaving it like this. The next chapter will have a lot more action to it. Not as much fluff. So there you go. 


	8. Chapter 8: A Final Goodbye

"Spike, have you seen Dawn? The last time I saw her, she was over by the DJ booth talking to some girl."  
  
"I saw some guy help her outside. She didn't look so good." Kirstie was still trying to come between Dawn and Spike.  
  
"It wasn't Xander or Connor because they're over at the arcade. And Wesley, Giles, Gunn and Angel are all over by the concession stands." Buffy was taking inventory. "Spike, maybe you should step outside and see if you can find her. If she's that sick, she needs one of us with her."  
  
Spike nodded and headed for the door, slipping on his duster that Buffy had been so kind as to bring with her. He reached into the right front pocket and felt the familiar weight of the stake that he kept there.  
  
"Dawn?" The familiar brown hair struck a chord of fear in Spike's heart. Of course, the fact that he couldn't see the woman's face was not helping matters any. He also felt a surge of familiarity toward the vampire that was apparently feeding from her.  
  
His suspicions were confirmed when the vampire looked up from the young woman's neck. "Drusilla!!" he hissed, morphing into game face.  
  
"Hello, Spike. You've been a very naughty boy." She dropped Dawn, leaving her laying in a heap on the ground.  
  
'Dawn, how bad are you hurt?'  
  
'I can't help you, Spike. I can't even move. Help me.'  
  
'Hang on, Bit.' Spike focused his thoughts on the redhead that was still inside. 'Willow, send Angel out here to help me get Dawn to safety. Dru's out here.'  
  
'Got it.'  
  
There was no time to waste. Spike pulled his stake and lunged at Dru, not giving her a chance to hypnotize him.  
  
The fight was short and savage. Dru was just a pile of dust on the ground and Spike was kneeling beside Dawn, holding her, by the time Angel came out the door.  
  
He ran over and knelt opposite Spike. Dawn was clutched tight to his chest but Angel could still see the blood flowing freely from the wound in her neck.  
  
Angel practically tore off the black silk shirt he was wearing. Handing it to Spike, he said, "Press this to her neck. We have to stop the bleeding."  
  
"Help her. I don't know what to do." The tears flowing down his face reminded Angel of the times he had cried after Buffy died.  
  
"You're doing fine. She'll be alright."  
  
"Willow sent me out to see how she was." Oz's voice startled both Dawn's father and her lover.  
  
"We need to get her to the hospital."  
  
"Angel, take her. I - - -" Spike didn't need to say anymore. Angel could see the bloodlust on his face. The smell of the blood had inflamed his senses.  
  
Angel said nothing. He just took Dawn and handed her to Oz. Oz carried her to his car as Angel put his wrist to Spike's mouth, urging him to feed.  
  
Spike got in the car, feeling much better after having been fed from Angel. He pulled Dawn into his arms and held her all the way to the hospital.  
  
"She'll be fine. The bleeding has stopped and it looks like the wounds have already closed pretty much." The doctor was updating Buffy and Angel on Dawn's condition. Spike hadn't left Dawn's side since they had arrived.  
  
"Can we see her?"  
  
"Of course. She's in room 226." Buffy and Angel made their way to Dawn's room. Spike had dozed off with his head resting on his arm on the bed next to where Dawn lay sleeping.  
  
"He staked Drusilla."  
  
"He said he would do that to prove that he loved me. I thought it was just more posturing on his part. I guess it means a lot for a vampire to stake their sire."  
  
"It does. Staking one's sire is the ultimate sin amongst vampires." Angel paused. "It's also the highest proof of power. That's why I had such a hard time after staking Darla. Of course, if I were still a vamp, tradition would dictate that I challenge him because she was my childe."  
  
"You can't do that." Buffy and Angel looked toward the bed to see Dawn looking at them.  
  
"That would only be if I was still a vamp, Dawnie." Angel smiled. "Or if he hurt you."  
  
"He won't." Dawn was so certain of that fact. She reached her left hand over to touch his head. "He loves me."  
  
"Yes, he does." Buffy was surprised that she was so supportive of this whole thing. "He would give his unlife for you."  
  
"He would." Dawn paused for a moment, concentrating. Then she relaxed against the pillow and smiled. "She finally got through to him. I tried to tell him that she didn't blame him."  
  
In his dreams, Spike said one final goodbye to his first dancing queen, who had left him a long time ago.  
  
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A/N: I know it took a while to put this one out and it is kind of short but I'm getting ready to do massive rewrite on the whole thing after the last episode airs. Thanks anyway. 


End file.
